This is My Fight Song
by denpa wave chick saki
Summary: "Lena swallowed back the lump in her throat and swiped at the tears threatening to form in her eyes. She just needed to think, she just needed to think and regroup… she'd find a way to get on. If there was one thing Lena Oxton had, it was perseverance."
1. Chapter 1

" _Get out, Lena."_

" _But if you would just listen to me—"_

" _I said get out!"_

Needless to say, that conversation had not gone at all as expected. She had anticipated some anger, maybe disappointment, but to be thrown out of her own home… Lena swallowed back the lump in her throat and swiped at the tears threatening to form in her eyes. She just needed to think, she just needed to think and regroup… she'd find a way to get on. If there was one thing Lena Oxton had, it was perseverance.

* * *

Jack Morrison was lost. Of course, if you asked him, he would tell you that he knew exactly where he was going and he didn't need your assistance, thank you very much.

" _Jack, I have been waiting for fifteen minutes now, just admit that you got lost—_ "

"I am not lost," the blond growled.

On the other end of the communicator, Ana let out a sigh, which came out as a crackle of static. " _Of course not; you're just sightseeing."_

"Yeah, you ever try it?"

" _Just tell me where you are and I'll give you directions—"_

"I don't need directions. I'll see you soon." Jack ended the call as he continued walking down the unfamiliar streets of King's Row. He knew he'd find his way eventually; he always did. It just took varying amounts of time depending on where he was and how stubborn he was feeling that day.

"Are you lost?"

Jack started at the voice, turning to see a young girl straddling a bicycle with an odd sort of rickshaw attachment. "No; why would you think that?"

The brunette gave a half-shrug. "I dunno, probably because no one really comes down this way unless they're lost. King's Row can be a bit of a maze if you haven't been here before." Her gaze fell on the emblem on his coat, and her eyes widened. "Are you with Overwatch?"

Jack nodded. "Commander Jack Morrison."

"Wow, I've never met an Overwatch agent before!" This girl seemed beside herself with excitement, and Jack smiled slightly.

"And you are?"

"Oh! Lena Oxton sir! It's a real honor to meet you." Lena gestured to the rickshaw attached to her bicycle. "Let me give you a ride to wherever it is you're going."

"No thanks, I'd probably slow you down."

"Don't be daft! Don't you worry about me; it would be my pleasure to assist a commander of Overwatch."

Jack considered for a few moments, but he had a feeling that Lena would be crushed if he refused, so he instead said, "All right kid, you win."

"Really? Yeah! All right then, jut make yourself comfortable and we'll be off!"

Jack hesitantly climbed into the rickshaw, giving Lena a nod when he was ready.

"Here we go!" Lena pushed off from the ground, and for a moment, Jack thought for sure that they wouldn't move, but apparently Lena had done this before and she easily began pedaling, starting down the street. "So, can I ask what Overwatch is doing in London? I understand if you can't tell me of course, I'm sure you have all sorts of top-secret missions and whatnot. It's just that I've never been able to actually talk to one of you before, and I just admire what you do, keeping everyone safe."

"You have to give us a chance to answer a question first," Jack said, a slight tease in his voice.

"Oh! Right, sorry, I just get so excited and then I just start talking and I don't stop—"

"Lena."

"Sorry."

Jack looked at the passing scenery, his gaze falling on the sign announcing the groundbreaking for the Turing Green SWO "How has Mondatta been received?"

"I think Mondatta is a real inspiration! He's really helped to ease relations between the omnics and the people." Lena paused. "Is that why you're here? Because of Mondatta?" The brunette didn't give him a chance to answer before she added, "Is he going to give another speech? Do you need volunteers or anything because I'll help, I'll stand and keep people back!"

"You're twelve."

Lena scowled at that. "I'm fifteen—"

"You're barely five feet tall."

"I can do it! You ask anyone around here, they're tell you; I can scale you like a stepladder, don't think I won't!"

Jack laughed. "All right, calm down. We don't need any volunteers, but if we ever do, I'll make sure to look you up. Do you live around here?"

Lena suddenly fell very quiet, which seemed unlike her.

"Lena?"

"You know, you never told me where we were going."

She was avoiding the subject. Interesting. Still, Jack decided to let it go for now. "The Alderworth Hotel."

"Oh good, we're heading in the right direction then." Lena turned down another cobblestone street. "There's Big Ben to your left; I love hearing those clock chimes. Is this your first time in London?"

This girl was going to give him whiplash, the way she switched topics so quickly. "No, I've been here before."

"Was it with Overwatch?" Lena turned around a corner, glancing back at Jack.

"Shouldn't you be watching the road?"

"Aww, I know this city like the back of my own hand!" Still, Lena turned back around, pedaling a bit more before she said, "Here we are, the Alderworth." The brunette stopped the bike in front of the hotel, putting one leg out to support herself.

"Thanks kid," Jack said as he climbed out of the rickshaw, doing his best to ignore the amused look on Ana's face.

"I see you decided to take a leisurely ride," Ana teased as she approached.

"You should try it sometime," the blond replied. "Lena, this is Captain Amari."

"Wow, two Overwatch agents in one day!" Lena almost tripped over her bike as she moved to shake Ana's hand. "Lena Oxton ma'am! It's a real honor to meet you!"

"… Thank you." Ana seemed taken aback by Lena's level of enthusiasm.

"How much do I owe you for the ride?" Jack asked.

"Oh, I couldn't take money for this!"

"Let me give you something—"

"Serving Overwatch is reward enough, really."

"Well, at least allow us to treat you to dinner; for returning Jack safely," Ana said.

"Dinner? With Overwatch agents?" Lena seemed ready to explode. "I—that would be—wow!"

"I think that means yes," Ana said, looking at Jack. "Meet us here at seven," the older woman added, turning back to Lena.

"Yes ma'am! Seven o' clock sharp!" Lena hopped back on her bicycle, giving the two a two-finger salute. "Thank you!" she said before she rode off, a distinct "Whee!" coming from her as she left.

"Well, she certainly has a lot of enthusiasm," Ana said a few moments after the brunette had left.

"Why did you invite her to dinner?" Jack grumbled. "We don't have time—"

"We always have time to establish rapport. Besides, my favorite tea lounge closed since last I was here; maybe she knows of another one. She is a local, after all."

Jack let out a sigh, but followed the older woman inside the hotel.

* * *

Upon emerging from the Alderworth, the two Overwatch agents were only mildly surprised to see Lena standing at the entrance, looking to be standing at attention.

"Well, you're punctual," Ana commented.

"Seven o' clock ma'am, just like you said," Lena replied.

Ana smiled at that, but her brow furrowed upon seeing the brunette's developing black eye. "Lena, what happened to your eye?"

"Oh, it's nothing serious, I just got into a bit of a tussle with some blokes who were harassing an omnic."

"Who was the omnic to you?" Jack asked.

"Just someone who needed help, sir. If I didn't step up, who else would have?"

"You sound like my daughter; perhaps you will get a chance to meet her before we leave London."

"I would be honored, Captain Amari!"

"I hate to rush this, but we should head to dinner. We still have work to do, Ana," Jack said.

The older woman waved him off with her hand as she said, "Don't worry, Jack. There will be plenty of time." As they started walking, Ana turned to Lena and added, "Now, tell me, is there a good tea lounge nearby?"

* * *

Lena had been raised in a home where etiquette was paramount. Even when she had been living at home, she'd always had a tendency to eat as quickly as she talked. It was a habit she had yet to outgrow, and considering the fact that she could barely afford to feed herself now, the brunette could hardly be blamed when she eagerly dug into the food that was set in front of her.

"Well, someone was apparently hungry," Jack commented as the young brunette wolfed down her food.

"I'm sure riding lost tourists around all day is hungry work," Ana said, giving Jack a teasing look. "How long have you been giving tours, Lena?"

"About two weeks maybe?" Lena replied, her response slightly muffled by the food in her mouth.

"Finish chewing first; we don't want you to choke."

"Sorry," Lena muttered before she swallowed. "But yeah, it's been about two weeks now."

"And your parents don't mind you riding around King's Row all day?"

Lena faltered slightly at that. "Uh… n-no. None that they've told me anyway." Before they could question her on the subject further, Lena quickly added, "Thank you again for dinner, I really do appreciate it. If anyone had told me I'd be sharing a meal with two Overwatch agents, I'd have checked both legs to see which one they were pulling!"

Ana smiled before she said, "Is there anything else you want to order Lena?"

"Ana—"

"After all, we may never have seen Jack again if not for you."

"No thank you, I'm all right," Lena said.

* * *

"It's getting late; do you need a ride home?" Ana asked as they exited the building.

Home; that seemed like a time and place that was too far away to even exist anymore. "No, I'll be all right," Lena replied. "Thank you again for dinner, I'll never forget it."

"Well, we'll be in King's Row a bit longer; perhaps we'll see you around again? Maybe sooner than expected if Jack gets lost again."

"Anytime you want to let that go would be appreciated," Jack grumbled.

Lena laughed before she said, "It would be an honor to see you both again." The brunette climbed onto her bike, giving the two same two-finger salute as before. "Have a good night!" she said before she pedaled off, rounding a corner and disappearing.

"Okay, I'm exhausted," Jack said after a few moments. "That girl has way too much energy, and now we're behind in our planning—"

"Did you notice anything peculiar about her?" Ana asked, still watching the spot where Lena had disappeared.

"Other than the fact that she seems to be perpetually going 100 miles per hour?"

Ana shook her head. "Something isn't quite right… I can't seem to put my finger on it. She seems happy enough, and yet… I don't know, I detected some sort of underlying emotion. Do you know what I mean?"

Jack stared at his companion. "No."

The older woman let out a sigh. "You know, you could try a little harder to get on the same page as me."

"Ana, we have more important business. We had dinner like you wanted, now we need to focus on the task at hand."

"I suppose you're right."

* * *

Lena pulled her thin jacket closer to herself as she jackknifed herself further into the corner, her bike being the only thing between her and the rest of the alley. The vent from the nearby power plant provided only marginal heat, and the brunette shivered. Still, her stomach was full, a feeling she had almost forgotten since she'd been thrown out. Lena looked up at the sky, a small smile crossing her face.

"Lena Oxton to Overwatch; I'm reporting for duty."

* * *

"There's been talk of an EMP device that could be transported towards the power plant and used to wipe out the omnic population living there. While there's no evidence to support those rumors, we shouldn't totally discount it as a possibility."

"They'd need a place to store something that large," Ana said. "King's Row doesn't exactly lend itself to storing large objects."

"No, it doesn't." Jack crossed his arms, letting out a "hmming" noise.

"Though I bet a local would know where such a thing could be stored."

The blond gave his companion a look. "Ana, Lena is fine. We can't be worrying about a single child, we have more important matters—"

"Let me worry, all right? Besides, I really do believe that having a local's insights could be beneficial. Do you really think we can learn as much as she knows in a few short weeks?"

Jack let out a sigh, but Ana was more stubborn than he was, so he conceded and said, "All right, we'll talk to Lena."

* * *

"… And to your left is the Meridian. I love the theater; I don't get to go very often, but I've been before and it's really great, I think you'll really enjoy it." Lena stopped her bike and put a leg out to support herself. "Well, I hope you enjoy your day!"

The couple handed Lena a few paper bills before they left, and the brunette took off her backpack, slipping the bills inside.

"Is this bike available?"

Lena looked up at the voice, her face lighting up with a smile. "Captain Amari! How are you?"

"Fine, Lena. Commander Morrison and I actually need your help."

"My help? Of course, anything! What can I do?"

Ana climbed into the rickshaw, handing the brunette a large roll of paper bills before she said, "Tell me where in King's Row someone could store a large device."

Lena stared at the bills for a few moments before she put them in her backpack, sliding it back over her shoulders. "What kind of device?"

"I can't tell you that Lena."

"I understand." The brunette paused as she thought. "I might know a few places."

"Very good. Off we go then."


	2. Chapter 2

"Jack, I have some concerns."

"When do you not?"

Ana gave the commander a look. "It's about Lena—"

"Oh right, her. Did you get the information we were after?

"The most likely place would be underneath Big Ben, now listen—"

"Underneath Big Ben?" Jack's brow furrowed at that. "I didn't realize the clock also doubled as storage."

"There's apparently a storage unit built into the base, now would you listen to me?"

"If this is about Lena—"

"She was wearing the same outfit she wore to dinner the other night."

"So?"

"So that is not usual behavior, especially not for someone who rides around all day and works up a sweat. I'm telling you, something isn't right."

"Then why don't you just ask her?"

"You have no experience with children."

"No, I don't, and I don't care to right now." Jack gave the older woman a frustrated look. "Ana, forget about that girl; we are here to ensure the safety of everyone in King's Row, not just one child who happens to be enamored with our organization. Now focus on the mission at hand."

"Don't you order me around Jack—"

"You wouldn't listen anyway, so as your commander, I am telling you to forget about Lena and focus."

Ana's lips pressed together tightly, but she said, "Fine. I will focus."

* * *

"You want me to get lost on purpose?"

"Essentially yes."

Fareeha let out a sigh; her mother had called quite unexpectedly and had rambled off a long plan about getting herself lost in the maze that was King's Row.

"And who am I looking for?"

"A young girl named Lena Oxton; brown hair, brown eyes, five feet tall, fifteen years old. Trust me, she'll probably find you first, and you'll know her when you see her. She's very… enthusiastic."

"Okay… why am I looking for her?"

"Just talk to her, see how she's doing."

"Mom—"

"Don't argue with me."

Fareeha sighed again. "Fine." She hung up, pausing a few moments before she started down the street. "Get lost, she says… just get lost in King's Row and find some random fifteen-year-old. That's great Mom, glad you have me working on a very important mission." The younger Amari had no idea where she should even start looking; she'd never gotten lost on purpose before. Why did her mother even care about some teenager in King's Row?

"Hiya!"

Fareeha started at the voice, jumping aside as a young girl rode by on a bike. The brunette was glancing back at her, and she turned her bike around, stopping in front of the younger Amari.

"Sorry if I scared you, I just noticed the Overwatch symbol on your jacket. Are you with Overwatch too? Are you here with Captain Amari and Commander Morrison?" A pause as the girl cocked her head slightly. "You know, you kind of look like Captain Amari now that I think about it…" Her brown eyes suddenly lit up. "Are you her daughter? She mentioned you before, when we had dinner!"

This was the girl. "Yes, I am Fareeha Amari; and you are…?"

"Lena Oxton ma'am—"

"Ugh, please don't call me ma'am."

"Will do. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Umm… can you tell me where… the Hoof and Haunch is?"

"It's right behind you."

Fareeha turned around, seeing the sign for the said business. "Ah. So it is."

 _If my mother had told me why she wanted me to find you, I could avoid looking like an idiot._

"Anything else?"

Fareeha's gaze fell on the rickshaw attached to Lena's bike, and she said, "Maybe you could give me a tour of King's Row?"

"Oh sure! Hop in!"

* * *

"… and that's how I learned that drinking hot tea while riding on cobblestones is a terrible idea."

"That's quite the story." Fareeha glanced at her watch; she'd been riding around Lena for about an hour now, and had maybe said ten words out loud. Lena had done the rest of the talking, and the younger Amari was sure she had never met anyone with so much to say.

"Well, I think we've seen all there is to see in King's Row," Lena said, glancing back at her passenger. "Is there somewhere in particular I can drop you off? Unless you want to keep riding of course, I don't mind. I just figured you were tired of me by now; I think I have that effect on people."

"Um, you can just drop me off at the Alderworth."

"Right-o." Lena turned a few corners, soon reaching the hotel. "It's been a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." Fareeha climbed out of the rickshaw, approaching the brunette. "You really like Overwatch, don't you?"

Lena nodded. "I think they're amazing."

The younger Amari smiled slightly, taking off her baseball cap, which sported the Overwatch logo. "Me too. I hope to someday serve alongside my mother… and maybe you?" She placed the hat on Lena's head, causing the younger girl to flush deeply.

"M-me? But I—what—" Lena took the hat off, looking at it. The embroidery was faded, the rim was dirty, and the Velcro in the back looked ready to give up the ghost. It was the single best thing she had ever held. "Are you… giving this to me?"

"Consider it a gift, for taking me around." Fareeha realized how that sounded, and she quickly added, "I can pay you too, if you would prefer money—"

"No, this is more than enough!" Lena put the hat back on her head, turning it around so the brim faced the back. "How do I look?"

Fareeha laughed. "It suits you." She gave the young girl a nod. "Goodbye Lena."

"Bye."

* * *

"Who is it?"

"It's me Mother; let me in."

The door opened, and Ana ushered her daughter inside. "We don't have a lot of time before Jack comes back, so tell me what you found out."

"Found out? You didn't even give me any sort of direction of what I should say to her." Fareeha moved to the chair and sat down, giving her mother a look. "I feel bad; she has so much to say and I couldn't understand half of it."

"I know ḥabībti, me too." Ana sat across from her daughter, before she asked, "Did you happen to notice what she was wearing?"

"I don't know, clothes?"

"Fareeha."

"Uh, jeans, a t-shirt, a light jacket—"

"What color was the shirt?"

"White I think? It had the Union Jack on it."

"So she has been wearing the same clothes…"

"Mom, what is this about? Who is this girl?"

"A work in progress."

* * *

It was raining; of course it was raining. It was always raining in London. Lena curled up into herself even tighter, moving as close as she could to the vent of the power plant. She hadn't made enough lately to buy herself dinner tonight, and the brunette was beginning to tremble, both from the cold and the ache in her stomach. She sneezed a few times, closing her eyes in a fruitless attempt to sleep.

"Lena!"

The brunette opened her eyes, scanning the streets, but they were empty. She could have sworn she heard someone calling her name, but now all she could hear was the sound of the rain hitting the cobblestones. The brunette closed her eyes again, letting out a sigh.

"Lena. Lena, can you hear me?"

A gentle hand on her shoulder caused her to open her eyes again, and the brunette saw Captain Amari standing over her.

"Hey," she managed to croak out, sitting up slightly.

"You poor child. Come on, up we go." Ana helped the brunette to her feet, and Lena stumbled a bit against her.

"I'm all right…"

"Don't talk, just focus on walking because I can't carry you."

* * *

Lena had almost forgotten what it felt like to sleep in a bed. The mattress seemed impossibly soft, and despite the heavy blankets, she was still shivering quite a bit.

"Still cold?" Jack asked, his normally gruff voice a bit softer.

"I-I'll be all right."

"Yes, you will," Ana said, pulling the desk chair closer to the bed and sitting down. "Now, Lena, why didn't you tell us you're homeless?"

The brunette looked away, shame and guilt pooling in her gut.

"Probably because it wasn't any of our business," Jack said, giving Ana a look.

The older woman would not be swayed. "Did something happen to your parents?"

"No… they're fine…"

"Did you run away?"

"No…"

"Then what happened?"

"Ana—"

"I want answers, Jack. This poor child is sick from sitting out in the rain without food, and I want to know why."

Jack stood, moving between Lena and Ana. "I know you want answers, but Lena has been through enough. Let her sleep tonight."

The older woman paused a long moment, her lips pressed tightly together. "All right. Sleep tonight, Lena, but tomorrow, I get answers."

* * *

The sunlight falling across her face woke Lena the next morning, and she opened her eyes wearily. Her head ached, and she propped herself up on her elbows with a groan, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh, you're awake."

Lena looked over to see Jack approaching, holding small cup out to her.

"I didn't know what you usually ate for breakfast, and Ana said you would prefer tea over coffee." The blonde made a face. "Not that you can even find coffee around here…"

"Thank you," Lena said with a slight smile, taking the cup from him. She took a sip, letting out a sigh.

Jack sat down beside the bed, looking down at his hands before he said, "Lena, listen; you're not in trouble here. It's just… Captain Amari… well, she worries. She has a daughter of her own—"

"Ah, good morning, Lena," Ana said, coming into the room and cutting Jack off. "How are you feeling?"

"Better."

"Good, good." Ana sat down beside the bed, leaning forward slightly in her chair. "Now, I want answers from you, and don't even think about lying to me."

Lena looked down at the tea in her hands.

"You're not in trouble," Jack repeated. "It's just that now is not the safest time for you to be out on your own—"

"Believe me sir, if I could go home, I would," the brunette said. She let out a sigh, looking up at the ceiling. There was no sense in trying to hide it anymore; Captain Amari had already figured it out, and she'd get the truth one way or another. "My parents… they threw me out…"

Ana's expression immediately went stony. "Why?"

"… I told them… I told them that I… I don't… I'm not…" Lena closed her eyes, letting out another sigh. "I'm gay. I thought they might… that maybe we could talk about it… but they threw me out. I didn't have anything to my name, so I started riding my bike, trying to earn some money…" The brunette fought the tears that were beginning to well up. She didn't want to cry in front of two Overwatch agents who had no doubt experienced far worse hardships—

Ana, whose face had been growing darker with each word, suddenly stood, her chair scraping against the floor. "Lena, where do your parents live?"

"Wha—why?"

"Because we need to have a little chat. Parent to parent."

* * *

Lena's hand shook as she knocked on the door to her once home, and after a few moments, the door opened, revealing her father.

"I thought I told you never to come back here," he said darkly, causing Lena's gaze to travel to the ground.

"Good evening Mr. Oxton. I am Captain Amari—"

"What, she done something? She tell you that she live here, because she's no child of mine, so she's your problem." Her father began to close the door, but Ana's hand shot out, catching it and stopping it cold.

"You misunderstand. I have come to collect Lena's personal items, and then I will be taking her into my care." Ana entered the house, the look on her face (and her rifle on her shoulder) daring Lena's father to object. "Fareeha, go with Lena to her room and help her pack her things. I will keep the Oxtons company."

Lena could feel the glares of her family, but Fareeha placed a strong hand on her back, gently leading her away. "Where's your room?"

"This way…" The brunette led Fareeha to the room that had once been hers, turning on the light. "Oh…"

* * *

"You needn't worry about Lena's well-being; I will take very good care of her. Unconditionally, really, just like any good parent. Not that you would know about that, of course." Ana turned her attention to Lena as she saw her enter the room. "Ahh, are you all packed then?"

Lena didn't reply, and Fareeha approached her mother. "Her room was empty; her stuff is gone."

Ana's lips pressed together tightly. "I see." The older woman looked back at Lena's parents, readjusting her rifle (and causing them to visibly flinch). "I suppose our business here is concluded then. Lena, say goodbye if you wish, and then come."

The brunette looked back at her parents, her stomach tightening. She felt as though she should say something, but instead she turned and followed Ana and Fareeha out of the house, the door closing behind them.

"Did you really mean that?"

Ana turned at the question. "Mean what?"

"What you said to my parents… that you would… you know…" Lena didn't finish, too afraid of the answer. "I mean, I can understand if you were saying all that just to make them feel bad or whatever—"

Ana pulled the brunette into an embrace, which caught the young girl by surprise. "Yes ḥabībti, I meant it. Welcome to our family."


	3. Chapter 3

"I can't believe you gave her that ratty old hat as payment."

"She said it was fine; I tried to give her money too, you know."

Ana shook her head, looking over at the young brunette, who was peering out the window of the jet. "Have you ever been to Switzerland, Lena?"

"No ma'am; I've never even left London!" The brunette turned to face the older woman, a smile on her face. "I still can't believe this is really happening… that I'm sitting in an Overwatch jet with actual Overwatch agents—"

"Pace yourself kid," Jack said from where he was sitting.

"Right." Lena flopped down into her seat, beginning to mess with the settings and causing it to recline and straighten back up. "How long is it to Switzerland?"

"Only about two hours."

"Oh." Lena looked around the jet, letting out a sigh; she had never been the most patient type. Being idle made her all the more restless.

"Nervous Lena?" Ana asked with a slightly knowing smile.

"No, just restless. I don't sit still very well."

"So we've noticed," Jack said.

"We'll be there before you know it," Ana said.

The brunette turned and looked back out the window, her mind buzzing with questions. "Are we going to the Overwatch Headquarters? What's it like there? Are there other agents there? How many—ow!" A sudden, sharp pain in her arm cut her off, and Lena looked down to see a small vial shaped dart sticking out of her arm. "What…?"

"Don't worry Lena, you'll wake up in a few hours," Ana said, lowering her dart gun. "We won't leave you behind."

"Oh… 'kay." Lena collapsed back into her seat, quickly falling asleep.

"You could have given her a warning first," Jack said after a few moments.

"Using the sleep dart was your idea; don't criticize my execution."

* * *

Upon waking up, Lena let out a wince, her head aching. "Nnn…"

"Ah, you're awake," Fareeha said. "How are you feeling?"

"My head aches a bit…"

The older woman smiled slightly. "Yes, I remember the first time my mother used a sleep dart on me. Consider it a rite of passage." Fareeha glanced over, seeing the expression on Lena's face. "Don't take it personally; both she and Commander Morrison had decided that you shouldn't see HQ yet."

Lena nodded before perked up a bit. "Yet? Does that mean I'll get to see it someday?"

"That is a matter that is out of my hands." A pause. "But maybe."

Lena glanced out the window; they were no longer on the jet, but in a car instead. "Where are we? Where are Captain Amari and Commander Morrison?"

"We're on our way to our apartment, and they're at the HQ. My mother asked me to bring you home so you could get settled."

"You don't live at HQ?"

"My mother prefers to have a home away from Overwatch." Fareeha's grip tightened a bit on the steering wheel.

"Why?"

"She wants to keep me away from that life."

"Oh." Lena could see that this was a sensitive subject, and she for once decided to keep her questions to herself. "How far is your apartment?"

"We're almost there."

After turning a few more corners, Fareeha parked the car outside a small apartment complex. "We're here."

Lena climbed out of the car and followed the older woman into the complex and up to the apartment.

"It's not much; it's been just my mother and myself for quite some time now, but make yourself at home," Fareeha said upon opening the door.

"I think it's great," the brunette said as she looked around the apartment.

"Well, at least you're easily impressed." Fareeha started down the small hallway, and Lena followed after her. "You'll be sharing a room with me; we're going to set up a cot for you until we can get you a proper bed—"

"I'm sure I'll be fine," Lena said.

Fareeha turned on the light, and Lena could see that the walls of the room were covered with posters and flyers. The brunette took a moment to take them all in, turning around in a full circle.

"Who is that?" Lena asked, pointing to a poster depicting a large man in armor with flowing blond hair.

"Are you serious? You haven't heard of Reinhardt?" Fareeha struck a pose matching the one in the poster before she said, "Justice will be done!" in a rather terrible German accent.

Lena laughed. "Is he part of Overwatch?"

"He was. They made him retire last year when he turned fifty." A smile played across Fareeha's face. "That was quite the fight; he didn't want to retire in the slightest. If he had it his way, he'd serve as long as he could lift his hammer."

Lena was looking absolutely enamored now, and she said, "Wow, I can't imagine growing up around Overwatch agents. You must have a million stories."

"It has been quite an experience. Come on, help me with the cot."

Lena nodded, helping the older woman pull out the cot and unfolding it in a cleared out corner of the room.

"I'll lend you some sleep clothes for tonight, and we have some extra blankets if you get cold. Tomorrow I'll take you out and we can get you some new clothes—" Fareeha stopped upon seeing the tears welling up in Lena's eyes. "What's wrong?"

"It's just… you're all being so nice to me… and I didn't do anything to deserve it… I mean, I was just tossed out and then I met Commander Morrison and I just wanted to help, and then Captain Amari—"

"You didn't do anything to deserve being thrown out either. Besides, my mother is a rather good judge of character; I'm sure she sees potential in you."

* * *

"I'm back," Ana called as she entered the apartment, setting a brown paper bag on the table.

" _Ahlan_!" Lena turned and looked back at Fareeha, adding, "Did I say it right?"

"Well, you've been busy today I see," the older Amari said with a slight smile. She began unloading the bag, and Lena hopped onto a nearby chair, sitting on her knees.

"Whatcha making?"

"Kushari."

"What's that?"

"It's a traditional Egyptian dish; I used to make it when we lived in Cairo."

"Is that where you're from?"

"Mmm. Now make yourself useful and help me with dinner."

* * *

Upon waking up the next morning, it took Lena a few moments to remember why she wasn't on the streets of King's Row. The brunette sat up and looked around the bedroom, finding herself alone. Lena slid out of the cot, letting out a yawn as she padded down the hallway towards the kitchen.

"Ah good, you're awake," Fareeha said upon seeing the brunette. "Here, eat some breakfast; we have a busy day ahead of us."

"What are we doing?" Lena asked, sitting at the table and beginning to eat from the plate set in front of her.

"First we're going to get you some new clothes—"

"And then I'll get to see HQ?"

Fareeha let out a sigh. "Lena, I told you before, I have no say in this matter. It's up to Commander Morrison."

"Right…"

The younger Amari turned to her companion, recognizing the dejected look on her face; it was one she had worn every time her mother told her that she couldn't join Overwatch. "Don't despair, Lena. You're still young; you have plenty of time to prove yourself."

The brunette nodded. "I will."

* * *

"Jack—"

"We are not talking about this again, Ana."

"We didn't talk about it before; you ended the conversation before it even started."

"And I will do so again." Jack gave his captain a stern look. "I don't care what you do outside of Overwatch; you wanted to take Lena into your home, and I find that admirable, but she has no place here."

"But she could—"

"She's too young; I refuse to send a child into the field."

"No one said she had to become an active agent right away—"

"We have work to do here; we can't have her running around unsupervised."

"Fareeha could watch her, start training her—"

"Ana, enough. Lena has no place here at Overwatch right now, and that is final."

The older woman paused, knowing that arguing with Jack would not bring her any closer to her goal. "You're right Jack; you're absolutely right."

The blond arched an eyebrow; Ana's sudden agreement was suspicious, to say the least. "Am I?"

Ana nodded. "Lena would only be a distraction here; in fact, we should take a vote, just to make sure that the others are all in agreement."

"Ana, don't you dare—"

It was too late. Ana had already left the room, going out to the command room where everyone was gathered. "Everyone, give me your attention please. I have a story to tell you, after which we will take a vote."

"Ana—"

Ana waved Jack off before she turned back to the others. "As you all know, Jack, Fareeha, and myself all visited London recently, specifically King's Row. While we were there, we met a young girl by the name of Lena Oxton. She's a delightful child, very enthusiastic—"

"That's putting it mildly," Jack muttered.

"Does this story have a point?" Torbjorn asked impatiently.

"I'm getting there. As I said, Lena is a very spirited child; shortly after we met her, she got into a bit of a scuffle while defending an omnic."

"A scuffle? You mean a fight," Angela said, crossing her arms.

"All right, a fight then. Regardless, her heart is certainly in the right place. Here is the unfortunate part of the story: when we met Lena, she was homeless. She had been thrown out of her home by her own parents, and why you may ask? Not because she stood up for omnics, but because she happens to fancy other women. We managed to find Lena before she caught pneumonia or something worse; the poor child was curled up by a power plant vent in the rain in an attempt to stay warm."

Ana could see that she had them now; Angela was holding her hands to her heart, and Reinhardt looked ready to cry.

"I decided that it was best for Lena to return to Switzerland with us; she is currently staying at my apartment, where I will care for her as her parents did not. Of course, Fareeha and I will do our best, but I can't help but feel that a family is exactly what Lena needs right now." Ana paused, glancing over at Jack. "Now, you may be wondering why I have told you this. I merely wish to see who agrees with Jack that there is no place for Lena here at Overwatch."

At this point, everyone looked at Commander Morrison, and the blond could see that Ana would get her way.

"I merely said that Lena is too young, she isn't ready—"

The looks persisted, and Jack let out a sigh.

"So, what time shall I bring Lena by tomorrow?"

* * *

The moment she stepped through the doors to Overwatch HQ, Lena couldn't believe her eyes.

"Fareeha, pinch me," she managed to get out.

"Why?"

"Because I need to make sure I'm not dreaming."

Fareeha rolled her eyes, but reached over and gave the brunette's arm a pinch.

"Ow!" Lena rubbed her arm, the smile soon returning her face. "Nope, I'm awake!"

"Come on, I'll show you around," Fareeha said, giving Lena a nudge.

The brunette pulled herself from her stupor to follow the older woman through the lobby before making their way up a staircase and passing a large glass room.

"That's the command room; I've never been allowed in when they actually held debriefings though." Fareeha continued down a hallway, gesturing to a room with a white cross on a red background painted over the doorway. "This is the medical wing; Dr. Ziegler is our chief medic. She's the top doctor in her field."

The two entered the room, and Lena saw Fareeha take a moment to straighten her collar and run a hand through her hair. "Dr. Ziegler? Are you busy?"

The blonde in the room turned to face the two, and a smile crossed her face. "Not at the moment; is this Lena?"

"Yes, I'm just giving her a tour."

Angela approached, giving Lena a hug. "Ana told us what happened in London; how are you faring?"

"I'm… still taking it all in," Lena replied as Angela released her.

"Well, if you ever need anything, just let me know."

Lena nodded, and Angela's attention shifted to the younger Amari.

"And you, Fareeha? Do you need anything?"

Fareeha seemed to struggle with her words for a moment before she replied, "No, just… going to finish giving Lena the tour." The younger Amari grasped Lena's shoulder. "Come on, let's leave Dr. Ziegler to her work."

"Nice to meet you!" Lena called as she was practically dragged from the room. "She's nice, I like her—"

"If you even think about it, I will bury you."

"What—" A grin spread across Lena's face. "Oh, you fancy her."

"Don't say that, it sounds even worse with your… British accent."

"What, fancy?"

"Stop."

"Fancy—"

Fareeha let out a low growl, covering Lena's mouth with her hand.

"Sorry," Lena mumbled.

The younger Amari removed her hand and continued walking, Lena following after her.

"There's the gym and weight room; my mother and I spent many hours there."

"Doing what?"

"She taught me everything she knows about the martial arts—"

"Teach me!" Lena moved in front of Fareeha, stopping her in her tracks.

"What?"

"Teach me too!"

"Lena—"

"Please? I'll be a good student, I promise!"

Fareeha ran a hand through her hair, looking down at Lena's hopeful face. "All right; I will teach you what I know."


	4. Chapter 4

"Let's get to it already!"

Fareeha rolled her eyes, watching the brunette who was currently standing opposite her. "The first thing you need to learn is patience."

"Yeah, yeah, patience, I've heard that before."

"And it has yet to sink in." The younger Amari let out a sigh. "All right, show me your stance."

"Wha—oh!" Lena balled her fists, bending her arms slightly.

"That's your stance?"

"What's wrong with it?"

Fareeha sighed before she approached, giving Lena a light shove and causing her to stumble backwards with a yawping noise.

"What was that for?!"

"To show you how off balance you are standing like that. Now this time, keep your left shoulder facing me. Stand with your legs shoulder width apart, bend your knees slightly, and turn your left foot to point toward me."

"Okay…" Lena looked down at her feet, positioning them as Fareeha had told her.

"Good. Now, loose fists, right hand up by your chin, and left hand down in front of your face. Chin down, eyes up."

"You're throwing a lot at me at once here—"

"Do you want to learn or not?"

"I do, I do!" Lena positioned herself as she'd been told, and Fareeha nodded, taking her own stance.

"Good. Now—"

The brunette suddenly threw a punch, which Fareeha easily deflected before lunging forward, catching Lena's shoulder. Her foot kicked Lena's out from underneath her, and the brunette suddenly found herself being slammed into the mat.

"Bollocks…" she wheezed, the wind having been knocked out of her.

"And this is how we learn," Fareeha said, straightening up. "Are you ready to listen, or would you like to come at me again?"

Lena let out a groan as she got to her feet, suddenly throwing herself forward in an attempt to catch Fareeha around the waist. The younger Amari's back leg shot out to act as stabilization before she quickly brought her arms down, catching Lena's shoulders and stopping her dead.

"Decision time Lena: either you can stop and listen to me, or I can bring my knee up and break your nose. That's the traditional counter to what you were trying to do."

"… Please don't break my nose."

"That's what I thought." Fareeha released the brunette before she added, "Next time I won't hesitate. If you must bleed to learn, so be it." The younger Amari took her defensive stance once again. "Now take your stance and let's begin."

* * *

Lena let out another frustrated groan as she was slammed into the mat yet again, and she pushed at Fareeha's shoulders.

"You've fallen for this counter three times now—"

"I know, bloody hell you wanker tosser GIT!" Lena got to her feet, muttering a few more curses under her breath.

"Would you like to stop for today?"

"No, I'll be all right after I get some water… or tea…" The brunette left the room, still muttering, passing by Ana as the older woman entered.

"How is the training going?"

Fareeha moved to pick up her towel, wiping her face. "She's… feisty. She definitely has the potential, but she's just all over the place. Also I think she swore at me in British."

"That's still English, ḥabībti."

"Well I didn't understand most of it."

* * *

Lena let out a sigh as she started the kettle boiling; at least Ana knew the importance of having tea. The brunette assumed it was her kettle and tea leaves she'd come across. Upon putting the tin back in the cupboard, a jar of peanut butter was knocked loose, and Lena caught it before it could hit the ground.

"Someone really likes peanut butter," she commented; the jar had to be at least as big as her head.

A hand was suddenly around her ankle, and Lena let out a yelp as she soon found herself suspended upside-down and looking at the face of a gorilla.

"Uh… hiya," Lena said.

"Oh, you're British. You must be the girl Ana told us about."

Lena's face lit up. "Wow, you can talk!"

"So can you. Amazing. Now, kindly hand over my peanut butter."

"Oh, is this yours? It fell out of the cabinet—"

"Into your hand."

"Because I caught it." Lena held the jar out to him before she added. "Now would you mind putting me down, Mr…?"

"It's just Winston."

"Lena Oxton. Pleased to meet you, Just Winston."

Winston rolled his eyes with a sigh as Lena giggled, and he lowered her down before dropping her on her back and taking his jar of peanut butter.

"So where are you from?" Lena asked, getting to her feet.

"The moon," Winston replied as he sat down and began opening his jar.

"Oh. America. Is it true people there drink iced tea? How can you stand it? How can you live knowing you're destroying perfectly good tea—"

"I actually meant the moon," Winston said, cutting her off. "And I would never drink iced tea; what do you think I am, some kind of heathen?"

Lena smiled at that, embracing Winston's arm. "You and I are kindred spirits."

* * *

Fareeha paused to take a sip from her water bottle before she picked up the spaulder she'd been working on, placing it over her own shoulder.

"Whatcha working on?"

Fareeha started at the voice, whipping around to see Lena standing there, wearing her helmet (which didn't fit her at all).

"Give me that," the younger Amari said, taking the helmet from the brunette and tucking it under her arm. "How did you know I was here?"

"Well, Winston and I were talking, he's a lovely chap, and he told me that you sometimes disappear for a few hours—"

"How did you get Winston to tell you?"

"Oh, we're two regular pals!"

"I see."

"So what is this?" Lena asked, approaching the suspended metal suit.

"No, if I tell you, you'll go blabbing to someone else, and it will eventually reach my mother and I will never hear the end of it—"

"I do not blab! Besides, I've already seen whatever this is, so really all you'd be doing is just giving me an explanation—"

"All right, fine." Fareeha let out a sigh. "It's a rocket suit."

"Wow!" A pause. "What does that mean? Are you going to use it to fly or something?"

"That is the hope, yes—"

"Take me with you! Please?"

"What—Lena, I've never tested this yet, it's not even done—"

"Well, when it is done, please take me with you?" Lena clasped her hands together. "I'll do anything you want, anything at all!"

"We'll see, all right?"

"Yeah!" Lena jumped up, pumping both fists in the air. "Hey, maybe I can be like your assistant or something until then? Help you work on the suit by fetching tools or something—"

A pair of hands suddenly grabbing her arms from behind caused Lena to let out a yelp, and she threw her head backwards in an attempt to hit whoever it was. She felt her head make contact with a solid chest, and when the grip weakened slightly, she jerked herself away, whipping around.

"Easy there killer, you're going to make your headache worse."

"Really Gabriel? Must you make a habit of scaring people?" Fareeha said, shaking her head.

"Ugh, you sound like your mother."

"There is no need to go there." Fareeha attempted to discreetly move in front of her rocket suit, prompting Gabriel to roll his eyes.

"Relax, I know all about your 'secret project'," he said, using his fingers to imitate quotation marks. "When your mother finds out, it won't be through me."

"You mean if—"

"Please, as if anything remains hidden from that woman." He turned his attention to Lena before he said, "Commander Reyes. So, you're the kid Jack tried to keep out. What are you, twelve?"

"I'm fifteen, not that that has anything to do with… anything!"

"And you got stuck babysitting." Gabriel's grin was one of a shit-eating variety. "Your mother really has you working hard for Overwatch, doesn't she?"

"Did you actually have a reason for coming down here, or was it just to taunt me?" Fareeha asked, her lips pressing together tightly.

"A bit of both. I wanted to get a look at this kid that Ana made such a big deal about." Gabriel crossed his arms, looking Lena over. "Personally, I'm not impressed."

"Hey!" Lena straightened up to her full five-foot height at that. "You havin' a giggle mate—"

"Oooh, she gets more British when she's angry," Gabriel said with a grin.

Lena began to lunge for him, but Fareeha quickly caught her, holding her back.

"Remember what I told you about breathing through your nose," the younger Amari said before she looked back at Gabriel. "Thank you for your visit, we've enjoyed it immensely."

* * *

"Ah, there you two are." Ana turned to face her daughter and Lena before she added, "So, what do you think, Lena?"

"I think this place is amazing; I never want to leave!"

Ana smiled at that. "Well we have work to do tonight, so if you wish, you can spend the night here. You'll have to stay in your quarters though; no wandering about."

"Really? Me? Stay the night?" Lena looked ready to explode.

"Mom, really? She's going to be impossible to put to bed now," Fareeha said.

"Ana, do you have those reports pulled up yet?" Jack asked, coming into the command room. He gave the younger Amari a nod, adding, "Fareeha."

Fareeha gave him a salute, and Lena straightened up, copying the salute.

"Lena what are you doing?"

"Practicing sir."

Jack arched an eyebrow at that. "For what, dare I ask?"

Before she could think twice, Lena replied, "For the day you give me a chance to prove I can be a part of Overwatch sir."

* * *

"Today was so great, and it's even ending great too. I can't believe I'm in a real Overwatch bed, inside real Overwatch headquarters—"

"Lena."

The brunette propped herself up on her elbow, looking over at the younger Amari in the bed next to her. "Are you going to work on your rocket suit tomorrow—"

"Lena."

"Okay, okay, I'm going to sleep." The brunette flopped back down, looking up at the ceiling, but lying still seemed impossible right now. Her mind was racing with everything she had seen today, and she actually began to vibrate a little.

"Would you like me to fetch one of my mother's sleep darts?"

"No, I'm good."

* * *

Lena groaned as she was slammed into the mat yet again, and once Fareeha stood, she noticed that the brunette wasn't making an attempt to get up.

"Lena? Are you all right?"

"Give me a moment…" The brunette sat up with a wince, every part of her body feeling bruised. "Yesterday is catching up with me."

"We can stop if you want."

"No, I can do it." Lena got to her feet, taking her stance yet again. "I'm ready."

Fareeha nodded, taking her own stance. The sound of footsteps caught her attention, and she glanced over to see Angela standing in the doorway, a smile on her face as she watched the two. Fareeha could feel her face growing hot, and she forced herself to focus. "Ready to counter?"

Lena nodded, waiting for Fareeha to come at her before she blocked the punch, drawing her other arm back. Unfortunately, Fareeha glanced back at the blonde in the doorway right as Lena brought her arm forward, her fist contacting solidly with Fareeha's face. The younger Amari let out a noise of surprise, her hand flying to the spot as she stepped back.

"Oh, shite!" Lena looked just as surprised. "I'm so sorry, I thought you were going to block it like usual—are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Fareeha said, lowering her hand. "Nice counter."

"… Thank you?" Guilt was still pooling in the brunette's stomach, and she added, "Just… let me go get you some ice—"

"Lena, I'm fine—"

The brunette was already scurrying from the room, and Fareeha let out a sigh.

"Do you need a doctor?" Angela said teasingly as she approached the younger Amari. She took Fareeha's face gently in her hands, and Fareeha fought the flush that threatened to creep across her skin. "It doesn't look too bad; I think you're going to live."

"Well, that's a relief."

Angela smiled, letting her hands linger a moment or two longer than necessary before she removed them. "I know this isn't exactly what you want to be doing, but taking care of that girl… it's very admirable of you Fareeha. She really needs someone like you right now."

"Yes, well… it's the right thing to do. Besides, she's not that bad… once you get used to her brand of enthusiasm."

Angela laughed at that, and Fareeha had to fight to keep her arms at her sides.

"Okay, I couldn't find any ice, but I found these frozen peas so those should do just as well," Lena said, returning to the room and holding out said bag to Fareeha.

"Thank you Lena." The younger Amari took the bag, holding it to her eye hesitantly and doing her best to ignore the amused look on Angela's face.

"I'm really sorry Fareeha; if it'll make you feel any better, you can punch me in the eye too." Lena closed her eyes, looking as though she were bracing herself. "Don't warn me, just go for it."

"I'm not going to punch you Lena."

"Are you sure? It's really okay—"

"You managed to catch me by surprise; I faltered, and I will not punish you for that." Fareeha offered her a smile, mussing her hair a bit. "Don't get used to it though; I won't let it happen again."


	5. Chapter 5

"Winston?"

"Hmm?"

"What is that?"

Winston looked over at Lena, who was currently laying upside-down on one of the chairs in his lab. "What's what?"

"That," Lena repeated, pointing up at the capsule hanging from the ceiling.

Winston turned his attention to where she was pointing. "Ah. That's the capsule I came to Earth in."

"Oh." Lena cocked her head slightly. "Were you the only one who left?"

"Yes."

"Why did you leave?"

Winston let out a sigh, something Lena noticed.

"It's all right if you don't want to talk about it. I understand painful pasts." Lena smiled slightly. "Well, maybe only a small portion of my past was painful."

"Sometimes that's enough."

Silence.

"My father worked in the power plant, and my mother worked at the Alderworth Hotel. We lived in one of those fancy houses on King's Row, you know, one of those tall skinny ones. Things were all right I guess; I never really felt unhappy, I just felt… out of place, you know? People in King's Row just hate omnics, and I never really understood why. I mean, it's not like they're that different than us. They still have two arms and two legs, and they think like us. So why do people hate them so much?"

"Humanity has always existed with hate; it's like a cancer that's impossible to stomp out."

"Yeah…" Lena let out a sigh. "My parents accepted the fact that I wasn't going to be an omnic hater I guess… when I realized that I… you know… liked girls that way… I thought maybe they would be okay with it. I never thought… I mean, in all the scenarios I ran in my head, being thrown out was never one of them. I never thought my parents could… that this would make them… hate…" Lena couldn't finish, and she wiped at the tears beginning to form.

"There were a group of us on the lunar base... gorillas like me and scientists. One of the scientists... he was very kind to me, taught me everything I know. When I grew older, the others gorillas took over... he was killed along with the other scientists. I managed to escape here to Earth."

Lena rolled backwards off the chair before she stood, approaching the gorilla and giving him a hug. "Well, Overwatch found us both; I guess having a tragic backstory is preferable."

Winston let out a chuckle. "Lucky for us then." He glanced at the clock on the wall before he said, "You ready for some lunch?"

"Yeah, I'm starved!"

The two left the lab and headed for the kitchen, finding that Ana and an unfamiliar man were already there.

"Ah, Lena; I want you to meet Gerard Lacroix," Ana said, gesturing to the man with her. "He's come to visit us for a short while."

"Pleasure to meet you," Lena said, shaking the offered hand. "Do you work with Overwatch too?"

"Yes, though I don't spend much time at this HQ." Gerard's brow furrowed a bit. "Recruiting a bit young, aren't you Ana?"

"Lena isn't an official agent yet, but perhaps one day," Ana replied.

"Ahh, an Overwatch aspirant, just like your daughter."

Ana's lips pressed together at that. "Yes."

"Well, allow me to welcome you aboard then. In fact, I have a gift for you."

"Oh no sir, you really don't have to give me anything—"

"Nonsense! It would be a crime for me not to welcome you properly." Gerard reached into his shirt pocket, pulling out a ticket and handing it to Lena. "There, that will get you up to three friends into a personal box. Have you ever attended the ballet, Lena?"

"No sir, but I always wanted to! It came through King's Row a few years ago, but my parents wouldn't take me." Lena looked down at the tickets, which had VIP printed down the side.

"Now that is just cruel. My wife would never let me live if I did not right such a wrong. Do say hello for me."

"Is she in the ballet?"

" _Oui,_ so be nice when she asks how you liked it."

"O-oh, of course sir! Thank you!"

Gerard gave her a nod before he turned to Ana and said, "I think I'll go harass Jack; I'm sure he's sorely missed my presence." The Frenchman turned and left, leaving the other three alone.

"Well he hasn't changed much," Winston said, moving into the kitchen and opening a cabinet.

"No, he hasn't," Ana agreed. She looked over at Lena, who was still looking at the ticket. "Well, looks like you're in for a fun night."

"Do you want to go with me, Captain Amari?"

Ana shook her head. "I wish I could, but tonight is going to be another long one."

"I understand; how about you Winston?"

"I don't think I'd necessarily be welcome in a theater like that."

"Oh…" Lena paused a moment before she said, "I'll go ask Fareeha!" The brunette turned and ran down the hall, all thoughts of lunch temporarily forgotten.

* * *

"I'm sure you have better things you could be doing than helping me do inventory."

"No, not really. Besides, I don't mind helping out."

Angela smiled at that before she turned back to the tablet in her hands. "How many boxes of bandages were there?"

"Um… twenty-two," Fareeha replied. "Seems high."

"I like to be prepared. Besides, people seem to get injured so easily around here. Just yesterday Lena fell down half of the main staircase." Angela paused. "Though she jumped right back up and kept going… I'll have to keep my eye on her."

"Fareeha, there you are!" Lena came into the room, approaching the younger Amari. "I went to eat lunch with Winston and we ran into Gerard Lacroix talking with your mum, and he gave me this ticket to see the ballet and I asked Captain Amari if she wanted to go, but she said she was too busy, and then I asked Winston, but he didn't want to go, so now I'm wondering if you want to go with me."

It took Fareeha's brain a moment or two to fully catch up and process everything Lena had said, and once it had, she replied, "Sure Lena, we can go—"

"Yes!"

"But you didn't even say hello to Dr. Ziegler."

"Oh!" The brunette turned around, just noticing the blonde. "Sorry Dr. Ziegler." A pause. "Maybe you'd like to go too?"

"That's very kind of you Lena, but you're already going with Fareeha—"

"But I can take up to three people! Please come with us Dr. Ziegler!"

"All right Lena, I will go with you. A night at the ballet does sound delightful."

* * *

"You two look absolutely adorable."

Fareeha could feel her face growing hot, and she shoved her hands into her pockets. "Well Lena didn't have anything to wear, and when I asked her what she wanted, she said she liked my suit."

Angela smiled and shifted her clutch to her other hand, causing the gold dress she was wearing to shimmer as she moved. "Well, I think they suit you, as it were."

"Come on, let's go in!" Lena said before she started for the entrance.

"I suppose we shouldn't let her go alone," Angela said with a slight smile. She gently took Fareeha's arm, causing a sort of tingling to spread throughout the younger Amari. Fareeha did her best to remain calm as she led Angela inside, finding Lena standing in the lobby, craning her head back to look at the ceiling.

"Lena, this way," Fareeha called as she headed towards a staircase, and the brunette quickly scurried after them. Once they reached their box, Angela and Fareeha sat down, but Lena stood up against the railing, trying to see all of the theater.

"Please be careful Lena; I would hate to see you go over the railing," Angela said.

"I'm all right." The brunette leaned back over the railing as she looked up at the ceiling, one hand fiddling with her tie.

"Lena, come over here please."

The brunette straightened up before she approached the doctor, who began straightening her tie. "You can't fiddle with this, or it will come undone, and we want you to look your best."

"Sorry; I've just never worn a suit before." Lena looked down at her buttoned jacket, "My parents always tried to force me into a dress… I've never felt comfortable in a dress." She looked back up before she quickly added, "Not that there's anything wrong with dresses; you look amazing Dr. Ziegler."

"Thank you Lena, and I understand what you mean." Angela patted the seat beside her, and Lena sat.

"Have you ever been to a ballet performance before?" the brunette asked.

"Once or twice," Angela replied. "What about you, Fareeha?"

"My mother took me once when I was younger."

The house lights suddenly dimmed, and the curtains opened as the music began. Lena watched as several dancers moved across the stage, and after a few minutes, a tall women dressed in white suddenly emerged from a white feather cocoon. The brunette could do little more than stare as the woman began to dance, her grip tightening on the railing.

Fareeha noticed the change in the brunette, and gave her a nudge. "Do you, ah, fancy her?"

Lena didn't reply, barely even hearing Fareeha as she watched the woman.

The younger Amari rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to the stage.

* * *

"I-I don't know if I want to do this—"

"Come on, what do you think is going to happen? Just say hello and we'll go."

Lena looked back down at her ticket; while the personal box had been nice, the opportunity to meet the dancers suddenly seemed less than ideal. The brunette just wanted to run because she knew if that dancer came out, the dancer dressed in white—

" _Salut_."

Lena froze at the French accent, her gaze betraying her and looking up at the approaching dancer. She was no longer wearing her white outfit, and was instead dressed in street clothes, a bag slung over her shoulder.

"Dr. Ziegler, you are looking beautiful as ever," the dancer continued upon reaching them.

"Thank you Amelie. Your performance was just as impressive as always."

" _Merci._ Fareeha, I haven't seen you or your mother in a while; have you all grown tired of the ballet?"

"You know my mother: always busy."

The dancer turned her attention to the brunette. "And who is your friend?"

Lena tried to speak, but her voice refused to cooperate, and all that came out was a pitiful noise from the back of her throat.

"This is Lena Oxton; Ana brought her over from London," Angela said, placing a hand on Lena's shoulder. "Lena, this is Amelie."

"Did you enjoy the show, Lena?"

The brunette made the same pitiful noise again.

"She is just speechless from your performance," Fareeha said. "She's a little nervous too."

"Ah." Amelie looked back down at the brunette. "Well, I am glad you enjoyed the show; perhaps my next performance will inspire some words from you." Amelie gave the two a nod before she said, " _Au revoir_ ; tell you mother hello for me."

"Will do."

The dancer made her way to the exit, and Lena watched her as she left.

"Are you going to be okay? You made some very interesting noises," Fareeha said, giving Lena a nudge.

"I just… I knew I was gay, but wow…"

"She's married, you know."

"I know, and I don't like her like 'I want to have sex with her', I just… she's just… she's gorgeous."

"And you're gay."

"Bloody hell, I'm so gay…"

* * *

"How was the ballet last night?"

"I think Lena thoroughly enjoyed herself," Fareeha said with a teasing grin, mussing the brunette's hair a bit. "She couldn't tear her eyes away."

"Look, I already admitted I'm gay for Amelie, okay?"

"Oh, I see. Fareeha doesn't know anything about that kind of behavior, do you ḥabībti? Tell me, how was your night out with Dr. Ziegler?"

The younger Amari flushed lightly at that. "It was fine," she muttered, before she stood and added, "I suppose we should get out of your hair; coming, Lena?"

The brunette nodded, having learned by now that this was Fareeha's way of telling her that it was time to work on the rocket suit. "Bye Captain Amari!" Lena said as she left the room with Fareeha, beginning down the hall. "It's almost done, isn't it?" Lena asked once they were alone, turning around and walking backwards.

"Almost; soon all that will be left is the testing."

"I can't wait, I'm so excited—" Lena suddenly felt herself run into something behind her, and she froze upon hearing a few words of French. The brunette turned around and found herself face-to-face with Amelie.

"I see we meet again, Mademoiselle Lena," Amelie said. "How are you?"

Lena could only stare, opening her mouth to say something, but her brain had apparently decided it could no longer form words.

"Lena, I know you're still starstruck from last night, but don't be rude," Fareeha said, giving the brunette a solid whack between her shoulder blades.

The action seemed to cause Lena's lungs to begin breathing again, and the brunette blurted out, "You're too tidy for me to function."

"Oh… thank you."

Lena could feel her face coloring and growing hot, and she found herself wishing that the floor would open up and just swallow her.

"Well, have a good afternoon," Amelie added before she walked away.

"Tidy, nice; why don't you tell her that she's punctual too," Fareeha teased.

"N-no, it's not… tidy doesn't mean… let's just go work on the thing before I die from embarrassment."

* * *

"Why do we have to stay here tonight?"

"Because we have agents coming in from other watchpoints, and we can't allow non-Overwatch personnel to be in the headquarters."

Lena let out a sigh as got out of the car, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"Don't look so upset; I'll drop by later tonight with dinner, all right?" Ana added.

"Okay."

Fareeha gave her sister a nudge, and the brunette followed her up into the apartment. "Here, you can watch some TV," the younger Amari said once they arrived, tossing the remote to Lena.

"What are you going to do?"

"I want to work on some of the schematics for the rocket suit." Fareeha disappeared down the hall, and Lena let out a sigh, flopping onto the couch.

After about ten minutes of mindless flipping, the brunette paused upon hearing music coming from the bedroom, and she made her way down the hall, poking her head inside. Fareeha was standing in the middle of the room, doing what appeared to be a very intense air guitar solo.

"Oh, I love this song!"

Fareeha jumped at the voice, turning to see the brunette enter. "Lena! How long have you been—you tell no one about what you saw."

"What, that you were very intensely playing air guitar? Who could blame you, this song is excellent!"

"You actually know this song?"

"I grew up in London, not under a rock." Lena grabbed a hairbrush, jumping up onto Fareeha's bed.

"What are you doing, get down—"

"Look, of you're going to pretend you're putting on a concert, you really have to dedicate yourself." Lena grabbed Fareeha's leather jacket from where it was hanging on the bedpost, slipping it on (and practically drowning in it). "Go on, start it from the beginning."

Fareeha rolled her eyes, but restarted the song, watching as Lena began to bounce on the bed, raising the hairbrush.

" _Coming out of my cage  
And I've been doing just fine  
Gotta gotta be down  
Because I want it all  
It started out with a kiss  
How did it end up like this  
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss  
Now I'm falling asleep  
And she's calling a cab  
While he's having a smoke  
And she's taking a drag  
Now they're going to bed  
And my stomach is sick  
And it's all in my head  
But she's touching his chest  
Now, he takes off her dress  
Now, let me go_

 _I just can't look its killing me  
And taking control_"

Lena looked to the younger Amari expectantly as the song led into the chorus, and Fareeha finally conceded, resuming her air guitar as she joined in the singing.

" _Jealousy, turning saints into the sea_

 _Swimming through sick lullabies  
Choking on your alibis  
But it's just the price I pay  
Destiny is calling me  
Open up my eager eyes  
Cause I'm Mr. Brightside_."

* * *

"I'm sure it's not an earthquake—no, don't call the police, I will take care of it. Yes, yes just go back inside, thank you." Ana shook her head, setting her jaw as she made her way up to her apartment, unlocking the door and making her way down the hall. Inside Fareeha's room, she found the two culprits jumping about, obviously having the time of their lives. Ana couldn't help but smile fondly at the scene; she couldn't remember the last time she had seen Fareeha smile like that, and Lena… the brunette deserved to be happy.

Ana closed the door, leaving the two to their fun; they'd tire themselves out sooner or later, and if not, she always had her sleep darts.


	6. Chapter 6

"Would you like to tell me what you did this time?"

"Okay, so I told Winston I could run from his lab to the command center, to your office, make a lap around Ana's bonsai garden, and make it back to the lab in under three minutes, and he said—"

"Let me guess: he said you couldn't, and you had to prove him wrong."

"I did prove him wrong! Or I would have if I hadn't tripped in the garden…"

Angela shook her head before she began bandaging the gash on Lena's leg. "This is the third time you've been in here this week Lena. I don't usually see people this much when they're out in the field, and you haven't even left HQ."

"I suppose I'm just talented."

Angela let out a laugh before she said, "That's a word for it." The doctor finished with the bandaging and straightened up. "All done, and as much I enjoy your company, try to stay out of my office for a while, hmm?"

"I'll do my best," Lena replied, sliding off the table. "Thanks Dr. Ziegler!" The brunette headed out the door, and Angela shook her head before looking at the chalkboard on the wall. She paused a moment before erasing the number there and replacing it with a zero.

"Maybe we can make it to a full week this time."

* * *

As Lena rounded a corner, a hand suddenly seized her arm, pulling her back. The brunette immediately took a defensive stance, fists clenched, only to see that it was Fareeha. "Trying to keep me on my toes?"

"We need to talk," Fareeha said.

"About what?" Lena lowered her fists and relaxed.

"You know what."

Lena's brow furrowed. "If I knew 'what', I wouldn't have asked—"

"You and Angela; you've been spending a lot of time in her office."

"Oh, that—"

Fareeha crossed her arms. "What's your angle, Lena?"

"Angle?"

"Are you trying to get with her or something, because sister or no, I will fight you—"

"I'm not attracted to Dr. Ziegler." Lena was a little hurt that Fareeha would even think that she'd try to get in between them. It was true that Fareeha hadn't really done anything to romantically approach Angela, but Lena figured that her sister would go at her own pace.

"Then how are you scoring all this time with her? It seems like you're in her office every other day; how do you do it?"

"Oh… I just get hurt a lot." Lena grinned sheepishly.

Fareeha arched an eyebrow. "So, for your plan to work, I need to throw myself down a flight of stairs."

"It's not really a plan, it just sort of happens to me…"

"I suppose you are a magnet for accidents." Fareeha let out a sigh. "I'm sorry Lena."

"If you want to spend time with Dr. Ziegler without getting hurt, you could do what I do."

"What's that?"

"Sometimes, when I'm feeling especially daring, I walk into her office and talk to her."

Fareeha gave Lena a flat look, and the brunette grinned. "You know I can have you on the floor in about four seconds, yes?"

"And yet, you still can't ask Dr. Ziegler out."

"Okay, you're going in the hamper." In one swift move, Fareeha picked Lena up and threw her over her shoulder, beginning down the hall.

"Wait, I promise it's easy, just go in and talk to her," Lena said.

"Just like you were able to talk to Amelie?"

Lena colored at the memory. "I admit, I might have mucked up with Amelie, but I'm only fifteen, and we just met! You've known Dr. Ziegler for years, you can do this."

Fareeha shook her head. "That only makes this harder. I can't just walk into her office and say, 'Hello Angela, would you like to spend a night out with me?'."

"I would love to."

The younger Amari froze at the voice, afraid to turn around.

"Hi Dr. Ziegler!" Lena said brightly.

"Fareeha, I hope you aren't planning something that will put Lena back into my office."

"Of course not! We're just training," Lena replied.

"I see. So what time shall I prepare for tonight, Fareeha?"

The younger Amari took a deep breath before she turned around to face the doctor. "I… um…"

"I think seven would work nicely," Lena supplied.

"Seven it is then." Angela gave Fareeha a smile before she continued down the hall.

"See? I told you: easy."

Fareeha seemed to be paralyzed, unsure if what just happened had really occurred. "Lena?"

"Yes?"

"Did I just inadvertently ask Dr. Ziegler out?"

"You did."

"And she agreed?"

"Pretty sure she did."

Fareeha set the brunette down, her mind racing. "Lena, I can't—I didn't actually think—what the hell did you get me into?"

"I thought you wanted to spend time with Dr. Ziegler—"

"I'm not ready for a date! What if I say the wrong thing, or I do something to embarrass myself?"

Lena shrugged. "Then you'd be royally screwed."

Fareeha scowled at that. "Thanks."

"Look, I'll help you. First things first: what's your plan?"

"Plan?" Fareeha paused for a moment in thought. "I guess we could have dinner?"

"Good! Where?"

"Here?"

Lena frowned. "Here, at HQ?"

"What's wrong with HQ?"

"This is where Dr. Ziegler works; take her somewhere else, like your apartment. You can cook, right?"

"… Somewhat."

"Good enough."

* * *

"Lena what are you doing?"

"Lighting candles," Lena replied. "For ambiance."

"I never agreed to ambiance!"

"Trust me, she'll appreciate it."

Fareeha crossed her arms. "Trust you, sure…"

Lena took a step back, looking at the set table in front of them. "Okay, Dr. Ziegler will be here any minute; you finished cooking dinner, right?"

"What if she doesn't like it?"

"Then you can both have cereal."

There was a knock at the door, and Fareeha could feel her heart beginning to pound against her chest.

"I'm pretty sure it's for you," Lena said.

"I know." Fareeha remained rooted to the spot, and Lena rolled her eyes before she moved behind her and began pushing her (with some difficulty) towards the door.

"Just open the door and say hello," Lena said, her voice strained.

"I don't need you to move me—"

"Then start making your legs work."

Fareeha reached the door and stopped, turning back to face Lena (which almost caused the brunette to fall over). "Do I look okay?"

"You look fine."

The younger Amari fiddled with her tie before she turned back around and opened the door.

"Would you care to tell me why you took my key?"

"Mom—you can't—why are you here?" Fareeha immediately became flustered at the sight of her mother, and it didn't help as Ana pushed her way inside.

"I ran into Dr. Ziegler, and she was quite dolled up, perhaps for a date." Ana's eyebrow arched upon seeing the set table. "And it would seem you are preparing for one as well."

"Mom please, I just need the apartment to myself tonight—"

"Is that why you absconded with my key?" Ana turned back to face her daughter.

"I just—I wanted to—it was all Lena's idea."

"Hey! Don't blame this on me—"

A knocking on the door cut them off, and Fareeha froze up.

"Do I have to push you again?" Lena asked.

"Perhaps I should answer it," Ana said.

"No, I'll get it." Fareeha quickly moved past her mother to the door, opening it to reveal Angela.

"Hello Fareeha," the doctor said with a smile. "You look quite handsome."

"You too." Fareeha immediately winced at her mistake. "I mean, not handsome, but you look very… nice—beautiful."

"Thank you."

A pause.

"Well invite her in, don't be rude," Ana called.

Fareeha let out a sigh before she said, "Please come in."

Angela came into the apartment, and Fareeha closed the door behind her. "Hello Lena, Captain Amari," the doctor said as she came into the living room. "Perhaps I am a bit overdressed—"

"No, no, they were just about to go," Fareeha said quickly as she approached.

"Were we?" Ana asked.

"Yes, you were. You were going to show Lena your bonsai garden."

"I don't think I was."

"Yes, you were."

"I have no recollection of that."

"Mom!"

Ana smiled before she got to her feet, gesturing for Lena to follow. "Come Lena; I have apparently planned to show you my bonsai garden."

"Okay!" The brunette followed Ana from the apartment, and once the door closed behind them, Fareeha let out a sigh.

Angela did her best to hide her smile before she decided to spare the younger Amari and change the subject. "Whatever you have cooking smells delicious."

Angela's voice pulled her back to the current situation, and it took Fareeha a few seconds to catch up. "I hope you like it," she said, going to the oven and pulling out the dish inside. "I wasn't really sure what to make, and I'm not exactly culinary inclined so I hope it turned out all right."

"I'm sure it will be fine," Angela said, sitting down at the table. Her gaze fell on the set table, and she picked up the place card bearing her name. "You certainly went through a lot of trouble for this."

"What?" Fareeha looked up from where she had been serving the food, and Angela showed her the place card. "Oh, uh, no, it wasn't really any trouble."

 _Lena and her "ambiance"…_

Fareeha picked up the two plates and set them on the table before she sat down, watching as Angela unfolded her napkin and set it in her lap. The brunette did the same with her own napkin before she picked up a forkful of food, though she found herself waiting until Angela took her first bite.

"Is it okay?" Fareeha asked, feeling slightly foolish for being so nervous.

"It's very good," Angela replied, smiling at her. "I think you may be mistaken about not being 'culinary inclined'."

Fareeha flushed at that, looking down at her own plate.

"Tell me: how much of this was Lena's idea?"

Fareeha's flush deepened. "She may have… helped."

Angela let out an amused noise. "She will be an interesting addition to our team one day."

"If you can get her to sit still that long."

"And what about you?"

Fareeha looked back up at the doctor. "What about me?"

"Do you still want to join Overwatch?"

"Of course; that's all I've ever wanted."

"Oh, is that all?"

Fareeha's fork froze halfway to her mouth as she stared at the doctor, the flush creeping back into her face. If Angela had meant anything by that, she wasn't saying, only giving the younger Amari a slightly coy smile.

"I, uh… I mean… well, what… what more did you want?"

"I'm already part of Overwatch."

"I know, but I mean… is being a doctor all you wanted? You rose to the head of your field so quickly; I remember going into your office and seeing you studying in between patching agents up."

"I didn't realize you'd been watching me for so long," Angela said teasingly.

"I-I didn't mean—I wasn't watching like that—look I was young—"

"You know, you tease Lena quite a bit about her inability to talk to Amelie, but I wonder if she may have learned by example."

Fareeha could feel her face growing hot in embarrassment, and her fork clinked louder than necessary as she set it down. "Look, maybe I have trouble sometimes around you, but it's only because—I just don't—if you're just going to make fun of me, why did you come?" Fareeha stood up almost angrily, her chair scraping against the floor. She picked up her plate and carried it over to the sink, mentally kicking herself. She knew she shouldn't have let her temper get the better of her; snapping at Angela certainly wouldn't do her any favors.

A pale hand touched her arm, and Fareeha turned to face Angela. "Fareeha, I didn't mean to offend you, and I came because I have been waiting for you to finally make the first move."

"You… you were waiting for me? Why?"

Angela gave her a look. "Fareeha, I am five years older than you; trust me, it was better for both of us to wait until you were ready."

Fareeha paused for a long moment, trying to fully process what Angela was saying. "So… all this time I've been making excuses to talk to you and find ways to spend time with you… you liked me the whole time?"

"Well, maybe not the whole time, but you grew on me… like a rash." Angela grinned at that.

"What—hey!" Fareeha picked the doctor up in one swift movement, causing Angela to let out a surprised laugh. "So I'm a rash, am I?" The brunette carried Angela over to the couch, sitting down and holding the blonde in her lap. "And what would you recommend for treatment?"

"I can think of a few remedies," Angela replied before she leaned in and kissed Fareeha gently.

The brunette inhaled softly at that, and she held Angela closer as she happily reciprocated. She expected Angela to pull away after a few seconds, but instead found herself being pulled into a deeper kiss. Sooner than expected, Fareeha found herself lying on the couch, still kissing Angela who was now pinned beneath her.

"Hold on," Fareeha said once they broke apart for air. "Is this… is this going to go any further because I don't really want this to happen on the living room couch."

"Would you prefer to move to the bedroom?"

Fareeha nodded, not fully trusting her voice. She moved off the blonde and helped her to her feet before she led Angela to her bedroom, closing the door behind them.

"This is it," Fareeha said, feeling a little unsure of what to do next.

"So I see." Angela paused a moment to look around the room. "And it would seem that both you and Lena have similar habits."

"I know it's bit unkempt, but we haven't exactly been living here in a while, and—"

Angela placed a hand on her shoulder and pushed her down to sit on the bed before she straddled her lap, and Fareeha's sentence died in her throat.

"I suppose a bit more clothing on the floor won't hurt then," the blonde said before she leaned down and began kissing Fareeha again. The younger Amari's legs were far muscular than they looked, and Angela soon found herself beginning to grind slightly against one.

"Are you all right?" Fareeha asked, noticing that Angela's breath was coming out in shorter gasps.

"Y-yes." Angela's gaze fell on Fareeha's buttoned shirt, and she gently touched the first button. "Can I…?"

Fareeha nodded, her breath hitching as she watched Angela easily undo the buttons of her shirt. The blonde ran her hands along Fareeha's abs as she pushed the shirt open, and Fareeha inhaled softly, enjoying the touch.

"You've been keeping up with your workouts I see," Angela commented.

"Is that something you approve of?"

"Immensely."

Fareeha soon found herself without a shirt, and she tugged at Angela's dress, which the doctor removed for her. Fareeha ran her hands across Angela's skin, pulling the blonde into another round of kissing. Her fingers ghosted along Angela's thighs, and the doctor inhaled softly, her forehead coming to rest on Fareeha's shoulders.

"Do you want to stay on top?" the younger Amari asked, gently massaging pale thighs.

Angela considered for a moment before she nodded breathlessly.

"Have I left the good doctor speechless?"

"Fareeha, please… don't be a tease."

Fareeha grinned, but tugged at Angela's underwear, which the blonde quickly removed. She slid her hand between the blonde's legs, surprised at how wet the doctor was, and she the reality of the situation fully hit her.

 _Holy shit, I am actually about to have sex with Angela, this is really happening, oh shit, don't pass out, don't pass out—_

"Fareeha?"

The blonde's voice pulled her back to reality, and Fareeha looked up at her. Angela cupped her face gently, offering her a smile.

"Are you all right?" the blonde asked.

Fareeha nodded, not trusting her voice. Slowly, she slid a finger inside the blonde, pausing to let Angela adjust.

Angela breathed a stream of German in Fareeha's ear, causing a jolt of excitement to go straight between the younger Amari's legs.

"Dr. Ziegler, your tongue."

"Start moving your finger, or you'll find out what my tongue can really do."

* * *

"Fareeha, are you still here?" Lena closed the front door behind her, making her way into the apartment. "There's some sort of emergency at HQ, and Ana said I had to stay here tonight." The brunette made her way down the hall towards their bedroom. "How did your date go?" She attempted to open the door, only to find that it was locked. "Hey, you locked the door."

"Go away Lena," she heard Fareeha say from the other side of the door. She sounded out of breath, and Lena's brow furrowed.

"Are you all right? Is there a reason you locked me out?"

"Lena, please, not now."

"But my bed is in there—"

"Lena!"

"You can hardly blame her; this is her room too."

Lena immediately recognized the second voice. "Dr. Ziegler?" Realization dawned then, and Lena's eyes widened as she took a step back. "OH. Um… okay… have fun…"


	7. Chapter 7

"Lena, why are you sleeping on the couch?"

Lena opened her eyes wearily, seeing Ana standing over her. "Did I fall asleep? What time is it?"

"It's nine in the morning; why aren't you in bed?"

Lena sat up, scratching her head with a yawn as the memory of last night came back to her. Did Fareeha want her mother to know? Was she counting on Lena to keep a secret? "I just sat down for a second… guess I fell asleep." It was technically the truth; Lena had decided to wait on the couch until Fareeha unlocked the bedroom door, but obviously, that had not happened.

"I see."

There was the sound of Fareeha's bedroom door opening, and a new thought struck Lena: was Dr. Ziegler still here? Before she could think to do anything, the blonde entered the living room, wearing Fareeha's navy blue robe, her hair pulled back messily.

"Good morning Lena," Angela said, nodding at the brunette. Her gaze fell on Ana and she added, "Captain Amari."

"Good morning Angela. I did not expect to see you so early in the day," Ana replied, not looking entirely surprised at the sight of the doctor. "Is Fareeha awake yet?"

"Mom! I didn't expect you back so early…" Fareeha came skidding into the hallway, dressed in just a tank top and a pair of boxers.

"Apparently not." Ana arched an eyebrow at her daughter's apparel; it was obvious that she had already connected the dots. "You know ḥabībti, while it's about time this happened, you really shouldn't lock Lena out. It is her room too, after all."

"I told you we shouldn't have left her out here all night," Angela said, giving Fareeha a pinch.

"We were both naked—"

Ana moved to cover Lena's ears with her hands before she said, "She's suffered enough; I'm sure she heard things last night that were… unexpected."

"What?" Lena asked loudly.

"Nothing," Ana said, releasing the brunette. "Who wants tea?"

"Oh, I do!"

Ana nodded before she headed into the kitchen. "Well, Angela, I do apologize. It is rather unfair of me to ask you to look after both of my children now."

"Mom, please stop."

* * *

"Lena, please stop spinning in the chair, you're going to hurt yourself again."

Lena put a hand out to stop herself, waiting a few moments for her world to stop spinning. "So are you and Fareeha going to get married?"

Angela almost dropped the vial she was holding at that. "Lena, we only just started dating a few days ago. It's a little early to even be considering marriage."

"But you two love each other, don't you?"

"… I care very deeply for Fareeha, yes."

"Well, if you do get married, don't forget to invite me, okay? I promise I'll be on my best behavior."

Angela smiled at that. "We would never forget you, Lena."

* * *

"Okay, okay, this time we go headshot and then cross body formation; your 'X' lines better be straight."

"Okay, but I'm warning you, you're playing with fire here." Fareeha replaced her ear protection and her safety glasses before she raised her firearm, taking aim at the target across from her. She fired off five shots in quick succession before pressing the button to bring the target closer.

"Nope, your left shoulder is slightly off," McCree said, shaking his head.

"You must be looking at it from a weird angle because that 'X' is right on point."

"Whatever you say Amari."

"Are you two still holding this tournament?"

The two turned at Angela's voice as she entered the shooting range.

"Good, Angela, you can settle this for us. Are these lines straight or not?" Fareeha asked, gesturing to her target.

"Oh sure, ask the woman you're sleeping with. She won't be biased at all," McCree said.

Both Angela and Fareeha colored at that.

"What, you didn't think we knew? You two are so damn obvious; it's about time, really."

"Thank you Jesse, you can go now," Fareeha said.

McCree tipped his hat at them before he left, and Fareeha shook her head.

"Well, it would seem no one is surprised by our recent decision to date," Angela said. "Lena already asked me when we're getting married."

"… What did you tell her?"

Angela gave her a look, and Fareeha grinned.

"Care to join me?" the younger Amari added, gesturing to the targets on the opposite wall.

"I suppose I could stand to practice a bit," Angela replied, drawing her blaster from her belt.

"Stakes?" Fareeha asked.

"Oh, are we doing that?"

"Unless you're scared."

"I am not—"

Fareeha made a few clucking noises at the blonde, and Angela gave her a look.

"All right, you can buy me dinner when you lose."

* * *

"Okay, I think we're ready for the first test." Fareeha placed the helmet on her head before she took a deep breath. "You might want to take cover."

Lena ducked behind the tool chest, peeking out to watch the younger Amari.

"Okay, engaging rockets in three… two… one—"

The rockets came on with a low hum, lifting Fareeha a few feet off the floor. The younger Amari held herself steady there for a few moments, and Lena moved out from behind the tool chest.

"It works!"

"Well we won't know for sure until I try and move—"

The rockets suddenly burst to life, throwing Fareeha forwards and causing her to crash into the brunette, sending them both tumbling to the floor.

"Okay, I found the first glitch," Fareeha said, getting to her feet. "Are you all right?"

"I'm okay," Lena managed to get out, taking the hand Fareeha offered her, only to let out a gasp of pain and jerk her hand away.

"What's wrong?"

"My wrist just hurt when you pulled on it…"

Fareeha took off her helmet and knelt in front of the brunette, taking her arm gently. "It looks like it might be swelling a bit; can you move it?"

Lena rotated her wrist a bit, letting out a wince. "I can, but it hurts."

The younger Amari let out a sigh. "Come on, let's get you to Dr. Ziegler."

* * *

"How did this happen again, Lena?"

"I… I fell on it wrong… while we were practicing."

"I see." Angela looked over at Fareeha before she added, "Is that what happened?"

"Just like she said."

"Mmm. Well, I'll get you some ice and then I'll immobilize it with a splint. Give me a moment." Angela moved to the other side of the room, and Fareeha turned to Lena.

"I'm sorry again Lena—"

"It's all right, I know it was an accident. You go back to the workshop and I'll meet you there when I'm done here," Lena replied.

"All right." Fareeha smiled slightly before mussing Lena's hair a bit and leaving.

"So, I suppose you and Fareeha will have to postpone your training for a bit," Angela said as she approached the brunette.

"I guess so."

Angela lifted Lena's arm gently, examining her wrist. "Just for my own records, how much does it hurt when I do this?" She briefly squeezed Lena's wrist, causing the brunette to gasp in pain.

"It hurts a bit."

"Mmm, I see. And when I do this?" Angela pressed Lena's hand back slightly, and the brunette let out a yelp.

"O-okay, that hurts more."

"I imagine so. Now tell me, how did this happen again?"

"I-I fell wrong—"

Angela turned her wrist slightly.

"Bloody hell, Fareeha built a rocket suit and she tested it today and she crashed into me!"

"Fareeha did what?"

* * *

"Good, you're back. Listen I think I know what went wrong with the first test—"

"Well, that is certainly good to hear."

Fareeha felt her stomach clench tightly at the voice that was certainly not Lena's, and the younger Amari whipped around, dropping her wrench on her foot. She swore under her breath before quickly adding, "A-Angela—hello. What are you—"

"Lena told me what you've been up to." Angela crossed her arms, looking decidedly unhappy. "Perhaps you would care to explain yourself?"

Several lies went through Fareeha's head, but she knew that they would be no use. Angela already knew the truth. "Look, before you get upset—"

"Before I get upset?" Angela shook her head, letting out a humorless laugh. "Fareeha, we have already passed that point. How long have you been working on this?"

"A year or so—"

"A year? What if you had gotten hurt—"

"I know what I'm doing, and I didn't get hurt."

"That isn't the point, Fareeha!"

"Why are you getting so worked up? This is just a personal project—"

"You lied to me, Fareeha. And what's worse, you made Lena lie too. When I asked what happened, you both looked me in the eyes and lied."

Fareeha looked down, trying to stave off the feeling of guilt building in her gut.

"Did you not trust me?"

"Of course I trust you; I just didn't want anyone to know until I was ready—"

"Lena knew."

"Entirely by accident." Fareeha let out a sigh, moving towards the blonde. "Look—"

The doctor took a step back, moving away from Fareeha's touch.

The younger Amari's brow furrowed. "Angela—"

"Don't." Angela looked up at her, tears forming in her eyes. "How can I trust you now, Fareeha?"

"You can trust me—"

"How? You lied to my face; how do I know you won't do it again?"

"This is a unique situation—"

"No, it isn't." Angela shook her head, not wanting to say what she knew she had to. "Perhaps we were too hasty in our decision to be together."

"Don't do this—"

"I'm sorry Fareeha. I'm not saying it has to end forever, but for now… maybe you need more time to mature—"

"Mature? I am not a child, now stop acting so dramatic!"

"Dramatic? I'm not the one building a rocket suit in secret because of some feud I have with my mother."

"Well, aren't you lucky your parents are dead then."

Angela looked as though she had been slapped, and Fareeha immediately regretted what she had said.

"Angela, I didn't—I wasn't—"

"You know, you're right. You are not a child anymore… so it's time for you to stop acting like one." The doctor turned on her heel and left, and Fareeha kicked over a box of scrap metal in anger before she sat down, running her hands through her hair.

"That really was uncalled for, you know."

Fareeha looked up, seeing Lena standing in front of her. "I don't need a lecture from you."

"You should apologize to her."

"And you should mind your own damn business."

"If you have to get mad at me to feel better about yourself, go ahead, but don't pretend like Angela's the one who did something wrong."

"Shut up."

Lena didn't move, and Fareeha let out a long sigh.

"Please just leave me alone."

* * *

"Lena. Lena, wake up."

The brunette opened her eyes wearily, focusing on the younger Amari beside her bed. "Fareeha, what—"

"Shh. Don't ask questions; just come with me."

Lena rolled out of bed and followed Fareeha through the dark HQ, wondering what this was about. It had been a week since Fareeha's fight with Angela, and she'd shut everyone out since then; this was the first time Fareeha had spoken more than two words to her since then.

The two eventually ended up down in the workshop, which perplexed Lena further.

"What are we doing down here?" the brunette asked with a yawn.

"Put these on." Fareeha wrapped a coat around the brunette, and Lena slid her arms into the sleeves (which were far too long for her) before taking the safety goggles and putting those on as well.

"What's going on?"

"I promised I would take you with me when I flew for the first time, didn't I?"

Lena's face brightened as Fareeha began putting on her rocket suit. "Really? You figured out what went wrong last time?"

Fareeha nodded. "Found the problem and fixed it." The younger Amari picked up her helmet, looking down at her sister. "I know I have been a bit distant this past week—"

"More like sulky—"

"But I intend to keep my promise to you." Fareeha put her helmet on before she added, "Now come here."

Lena approached her, and Fareeha put an arm around her waist.

"You're not going to drop me, are you?"

"Not intentionally."

Lena gave the younger Amari a look over her shoulder, and Fareeha laughed.

"I will not drop you." The younger Amari pushed a button, opening the back door to the workshop, and Lena shivered slightly as a breeze of cold air hit her.

"Are you ready?" Fareeha asked.

Lena nodded, and Fareeha activated the rockets, lifting them off the ground. She paused for a few moments before she flew through the open door and started climbing upwards into the night sky.

Lena clung to her sister's arm as they climbed, and her eyes widened upon seeing the aerial view of the Swiss Alps. "We're really flying…"

Once they were high enough, Fareeha leveled out and began to fly forward, and Lena glanced down at the snow-capped trees beneath them.

"Where are we going?" Lena asked over the wind.

"You will see."

The two continued flying, and they soon crested over another mountain, revealing a waterfall on the other side. Fareeha went into a nosedive, and Lena's breath caught in her throat. They pulled up near the bottom of the waterfall, and Fareeha began to fly upwards, close enough that Lena could reach out and touch the waterfall (which was not the best idea, as it sprayed them both).

"Fareeha, I know what I want to do for Overwatch."

"Oh?"

"I want to be a pilot."


	8. Chapter 8

"That was amazing! I can't—I just—wow!" Lena was practically bouncing off the walls as the two returned from their flight.

Fareeha smiled as she removed her helmet and closed the door behind them. "Glad you enjoyed it." The younger Amari raised her arm, pressing a button to project the meter readings for her suit. "I can probably make a few improvements to increase the fuel efficiency, but I think we can call this flight test a success."

"Well, that certainly is good news."

Fareeha and Lena looked up at the voice, seeing Ana leaning against the tool chest.

"Captain Amari—"

"Hush, Lena. I will deal with you later."

The brunette dropped her head, taking a few steps away.

Ana approached her daughter, who was holding her helmet under her arm and holding a stoic stance. "This suit is impressive, Fareeha. You built this all on your own?"

"Yes."

Ana nodded, circling her daughter before returning to stand in front of her, crossing her arms. "Very impressive. I assume you did this to prove some sort of point?"

"I built this to show you that I can take care of myself, and contribute to Overwatch. If you would just give me a chance—"

"A chance to do what Fareeha? Take the lives of others?"

"I want to protect innocent people—"

"You cannot preserve life without taking it! How many times have I tried to explain that to you?"

"It doesn't matter anymore; I've enlisted in the Egyptian army."

Ana looked surprised at that, and Lena's head snapped up.

"If you won't give me a chance, then I'll join Overwatch's ranks another way," Fareeha added.

"I see; I should have expected you would find a way to circumvent me." A pause. "When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow."

"No!" Lena lunged forward, but Ana put an arm out, catching her.

"Very well. I'm sure you will make our country proud."

"I intend to."

* * *

Lena looked down at her splinted wrist, letting out another sigh.

"Lena."

The brunette looked up, seeing Fareeha standing in the doorway with a duffel bag on her shoulder.

"I guess you're all packed then," Lena said, looking down.

Fareeha let out a sigh, approaching the brunette. "I know you're upset with me—"

"Why do you have to go?" Lena looked up at the younger Amari, tears in her eyes. "Maybe you could stay a little longer, find some other way to make your mother—"

"She will never change her mind, Lena. I have to do this myself."

"But what if…" Lena didn't want to finish her sentence, and she threw herself forward, embracing Fareeha tightly. "Please don't go… I can't lose my family again."

Fareeha hugged her back as she said, "You won't lose me, and you have family here too." The younger Amari pulled away and added, "Besides, we'll video chat every week; you can keep your eye on me."

Lena nodded, and Fareeha straightened up, picking up her bag.

"Behave yourself, and keep up with your training," Fareeha said before she mussed Lena's hair. "Goodbye Lena."

"… Bye."

Fareeha turned and left the room, and Lena stood, running out the other exit and making her way up the stairs to the large glass window overlooking the front of the HQ. She could see the transport waiting outside, and soon enough, Fareeha emerged from HQ, making her way to the transport. Lena pressed her hand up against the glass as Fareeha disappeared inside the transport, which soon lifted off the ground and took off into the sky.

Lena felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked back to see Angela standing there, her eyes misty. The brunette looked back towards where the transport had been, her heart dropping as reality set in. Fareeha had really left, and she wasn't coming back. Lena turned and embraced Angela tightly, burying her face in the doctor's jacket.

"Lena."

The brunette looked up to see Ana standing a few feet away. The captain gestured for Lena to follow, and the brunette pulled away from Angela, going after Ana.

"Have a seat," Ana said once they reached the command room.

Lena did so, feeling very small.

Ana stood in front of her for a few moments before she said, "You and I need to talk, and you are going to tell me the truth. Understand?"

"Yes Captain."

"How long did you know about Fareeha's project?"

"Since the first day you brought me here. I found out by accident."

"And she asked you to keep it a secret?"

"Yes Captain."

Ana let out a sigh. "Lena… I must admit, I am disappointed by your behavior. I realize you were doing what Fareeha asked, but did it occur to you why she asked you to keep it a secret?"

"She didn't want you to find out…"

Ana nodded. "And if I had asked you what Fareeha was up to, what would you have said?"

"I don't know Captain. I honestly don't know if I would have been able to lie to you if you asked me."

"Is that so?"

"Yes ma'am. I don't like lying."

Ana paused a long moment before she said, "Lena, do you still wish to join Overwatch?"

"Of course, Captain. I want that more than anything."

"And what do you wish to do for Overwatch? Do you want to become an agent, or perhaps a medic?"

Lena grinned crookedly. "I'm too accident prone to be a medic, Captain Amari. I want to be a pilot."

"Oh?"

"When I went flying with Fareeha… it was amazing. I've never felt anything like that before, and in that moment… I just knew that being a pilot was what I wanted."

"We don't employ many pilots, Lena, and it is very difficult to get into the pilot program. It's very demanding."

"I don't care; I'll do whatever I have to. I'll study, I'll train, I'll do anything to get into the program."

"I have no doubt about that." Ana moved around the table before she began to type into a keyboard. "What I am about to tell you is highly classified, so I need you to swear to me that what you hear will never leave this room. You can never breathe it to another soul, do you understand?"

Lena nodded. "Yes Captain."

Ana pulled up some files and projected them in front of where Lena was sitting. "For several years now, we have had a project in development known as Slipstream. It will be the first fighter jet that can travel through time."

"That's amazing…" Lena stared at the projection, looking at the concept for the Slipstream jet.

"Yes; it's one of Overwatch's most classified projects. It's on a very strict, need to know basis."

Lena's brow furrowed at that. "Then I don't understand why—"

"Why I am telling you?" Ana approached the brunette. "Lena, everything I have said about you having potential, I have meant. You have determination, morality, loyalty, honesty—"

"But I kept a secret from you."

"Yes, you did, but as you said before, you never lied to me. Do you see what I mean, Lena?"

The brunette paused a moment in thought before she said, "Are you telling me this because… you think… you think I can pilot Slipstream?"

"I don't know Lena; can you? The person who is chosen to pilot Slipstream needs to be the best. Do you understand?"

"Yes Captain."

* * *

"No."

"But Commander—"

"No; I am going to stand firm on this. You are too young for the pilot program."

"Well, how old do I have to be?"

"Eighteen."

"Eighteen? That's three years away!"

"Lena."

"Just give me a chance; some test or evaluation."

"Lena, I already said no—"

"Please Commander; until now, I didn't know how I wanted to serve Overwatch, but now I do. I want to be a pilot."

Jack let out a sigh, rubbing his eyes. "You will have plenty of time to be a pilot, so I don't understand why you feel the need to rush—"

"Please Commander."

Jack gave her a look, but it was clear that Lena would not back down from this. "All right; I will give you one chance, and after that, you drop it. Understand?"

"Yes Commander; thank you." Lena left the room, waiting until she was around the corner before she jumped into the air with a cheer.

"Glad to see you are feeling better, _cherie_."

Lena let out a small yelp, turning around and finding Amelie standing there.

"How do you manage to always sneak up on me at the most embarrassing times?" Lena asked.

"If I recall, you ran into me."

"Please don't remind me…"

"I heard that Fareeha left."

"Yeah…"

"She is a strong woman; she will come back, don't you worry."

"Thanks luv." Lena immediately colored at that, realizing what she'd said. "I didn't mean… you know, I'm British…"

"I know, _cherie_. Just like I know what tidy means." Amelia grinned as she passed by the brunette, pausing only to say, "And I'm flattered."

Lena made the same pitiful noise from her throat as the Frenchwoman left, hoping that someday she wouldn't make a total fool of herself in front of Amelie.

* * *

The apartment was very quiet without Fareeha, and Lena let out a sigh as she looked down at the plastic container of leftovers on the table in front of her. She had never really enjoyed being alone, but there was nothing that could be done. It was another night where non-Overwatch personnel needed to be out of HQ, and that meant her.

There was knock at the door, and Lena looked up, her brow furrowing. She hadn't been expecting anyone. The brunette got to her feet, approaching the door and calling, "Who is it?"

"Would you expect someone with malicious intentions to actually answer that?"

She recognized that voice, and Lena opened the door, revealing Winston. "It would be worth a shot, wouldn't it?"

Winston shrugged before he came inside, and Lena closed the door behind him.

"Why are you here? I thought there was a big meeting or something," Lena asked.

"I thought you could use some company."

"Did Ana send you to keep an eye on me? I told her I wouldn't get into trouble—"

"No one sent me. I told you, I thought you would like some company." Winston set the bag he was carrying down o the couch. "I brought popcorn, some candy, and several excellent movie choices, if I do say so myself."

"Let me see!" The brunette excitedly went through the bag, pulling out a few holodisks. " _The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Godzilla, The Fly_ …" Lena looked back up at her companion. "These are all black and white movies."

"Is that a problem?"

"No, no! I just didn't know you liked these kinds of movies. I've never seen any of these."

"Well, that is a tragedy that we need to fix as soon as possible." Winston handed Lena a bag of popcorn as he added, "Get this started while I pop a movie in?"

"Okay!" Lena went off to pop the popcorn, soon returning with a full bag. "Which one are we watching first?"

"I thought we could start with _Godzilla_ ," Winston said, sitting beside the couch.

"The giant lizard?"

"Technically it's a sea monster—"

"Does it breathe fire?"

"It's called 'atomic breath', and it's caused by a nuclear reaction—"

"Why is it nuclear?"

Winston gave Lena a look over the top of his glasses. "You know, if you just watch the movie, everything will be explained."

"Well, go on and start it then!"

* * *

"Jack—"

"No, Ana; I am not budging on this."

"Just give me thirty minutes to make sure she's in bed, she needs to rest and give her wrist time to heal."

"Winston is with her; I'm sure she's fine. Ana, you need to focus, this mission is important."

Ana let out a sigh, crossing her arms, and Jack could see that this was going to continue to be a distracting issue. "Ana—"

"I have brought food!" Reinhardt announced, coming into the command room.

"Thank you Reinhardt," Jack said as the older man set the food on the table.

"I wish I knew if Lena had eaten—"

"Ana, enough—"

"Is there something wrong with Lena?" Reinhardt asked with concern; it was no secret that he had become quite attached to the brunette since the first day Ana brought her to HQ.

"I don't know, seeing as how I have no way to go back to the apartment and check on her," Ana said.

"I will go!"

"No, Reinhardt, I couldn't ask you to do that—"

"You have asked me to do nothing, and I would be glad to check on her!"

"Thank you," Ana said, touching his arm gently and giving him a smile. "Please, just make sure she has eaten dinner and is in bed."

"You can count on me!"

* * *

As Reinhardt walked through the door to the apartment, he could see that all the lights were off, except for the light coming from the television screen.

"Lena, you should be in bed," he called as he made his way into the living room. "Ana wants to make sure you have eaten, and—" He stopped upon finding the two companions fast asleep. Winston had fallen asleep with one arm draped over the couch, and Lena was currently using it as a pillow from where she was curled up on the couch.

Reinhardt smiled slightly at the scene before he approached, gently draping a blanket over the brunette.

Lena stirred slightly, her eyes half-opening sleepily. "Reinhardt…?"

"Go back to sleep, Lena," the older man said gently, offering her a smile.

"Mmm, g'night." The brunette readjusted her position before she drifted back off to sleep, and Reinhardt leaned in to press a gentle kiss to her forehead.


	9. Chapter 9

"Lena, I don't believe this is a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Your wrist has had barely anytime to heal. The test that Commander Morrison has planned will not be an easy one, and if you pursue this, your wrist will only get worse."

"I'll be all right, Dr. Ziegler."

Angela crossed her arms. "I'm sorry, which one of us is the doctor here?"

"Look, I know this is your job, but I have to prove myself. I have to prove that I can do this."

"Why can't you just wait until you're eighteen—"

"Because I can't."

Angela let out a sigh. " _Manchmal frage ich mich, warum ich mich überhaupt stören_ … fine; do what you must."

"… What did you say in German?"

"Nothing to concern yourself with."

* * *

"This is our flight simulator. You will be placed in a mock fighter jet cockpit, and immersed into a flight situation. Seeing as how you've never learned how to fly, the controls will be very basic. This will be used to test your reaction times, and to see how you perform under stress. Based on your results, we'll decide where to go."

Lena nodded, trying to control the butterflies in her stomach.

"Are you ready?" Jack asked, turning to the brunette.

"Yes sir." Lena climbed into the simulator, the lid closing her in. The brunette took a deep breath, grasping the control stick in front of her. "I can do this… I want this."

The simulator suddenly came to life, the screen surrounding the brunette and immersing in the scene. The jet was on a runway, and after a brief countdown, it took off, racing forward.

"Okay, very abrupt start," Lena said, pulling back on the control stick. The jet rose off the runway, and Lena could feel herself being pressed back into the seat. Once she felt she was high enough, she leveled off, readjusting her grip. "This isn't so bad—"

Anther jet suddenly whizzed by, and Lena jerked the jet to the side, narrowly avoiding a collision.

"Learn to fly, you wanker!"

The jet suddenly shook, and Lena realized she had been hit.

"Okay, that's how it's going to be then." The brunette pushed the control stick hard to the right, letting out a surprised noise when the jet rolled over. She felt the jet shake again, and the impact threw her into the side of the cockpit, causing her to hit her splinted wrist.

"Bollocks!" Lena held her wrist close to her body, breathing heavily through her nose. "I can do this… just gotta shake them." The brunette noticed a waterfall cascading off a mountain range, and she could barely see a cave opening behind it. She flew towards it before sending the jet into a nosedive, and as the water drew closer, Lena felt the jet shake with another impact.

"Catch me now, you tossers," she muttered before she pulled back hard on the control stick. It shook in her hand, and she gripped it as tightly as she could, trying to pull the jet up just before it hit the water. The nose of the jet hit the water, and a safety alarm sounded before the cockpit went dark and still. The lid soon opened, and Lena stood, her legs shaking slightly.

"We'll have the results evaluated and I'll let you know," Jack said before he turned and left, leaving the brunette with a feeling of disappointment.

* * *

"Winston, can you build something for me?"

"What do you need?"

"A flight simulator."

Winston's brow furrowed, and he looked over at Lena. "Don't we already have one of those?"

"Yes, but I doubt Commander Morrison will let me use it for practice—"

"Oh, this is about your flight test."

"You know about that?"

"Lena, there's no need to rush this. Just wait until you're eighteen and join the program—"

"I'm getting real tired of hearing that. What's so wrong with me wanting to do it now?"

Winston shrugged. "It's just unheard of—"

"I can think of ten things in this building that are unheard of."

"Touche." Winston let out a sigh, fixing his glasses. "You really want this, don't you?"

"More than anything."

"All right. I can build you something, but don't expect it to be exactly the same as the one we already have."

"Thanks luv!" Lena left the lab, her gaze falling on Amelie, who was currently talking with Ana.

"They're leaving tomorrow."

Lena jumped at the unfamiliar voice, and she looked over to see a man lighting a cigarette standing beside her. "I don't believe we've met—"

"Name's McCree, and I know you're the new ankle-biter."

"What—I've never bitten anyone before—"

"I also know you're sweet on Amelie."

Lena flushed, looking away. "I am not… besides, she's married."

"Well of course, and you're not the type to get between two people, but you still want Amelie to remember you, don't you? Who knows when she'll be back."

Lena looked back towards where Amelie was standing.

"You know what you could do is get her a gift."

"Like what?"

McCree paused, the end of his cigarette lighting up. "Well, she's French right? She probably likes French things, like berets and baguettes."

"Are you suggesting I get Amelie a baguette?" Lena gave him a look. "Isn't that just stereotyping—"

"Hey, you're British, ain't ya? You like tea?"

"Well yeah—"

"If I gave you tea, would you be mad?"

"No, but—"

"Exactly my point."

"I don't think that's really the same thing—"

"It's up to you whether you want her to remember you or not." McCree walked away, and Lena looked back at Amelie, letting out a sigh.

* * *

"I will meet you outside, just let me grab my bag." Amelie opened her husband's locker before she pulled out her bag, closing the door and turning to come face-to-face with Lena. "For once you have snuck up on me," she said with a smile.

"I heard you were leaving… I just came to say goodbye."

"Very kind of you, Lena. I am glad you have managed to regain your voice."

Lena nodded, her gaze traveling downwards.

"Is there something else?"

"I brought you this." Lena pulled a paper bag from behind her back, holding it out to Amelie.

Amelie paused, looking at the offered baguette. "Oh… how kind of you Lena."

"I didn't know if this was the right kind of bread, I looked but this was the only kind they had." Lena's words were tumbling out as her speech gradually sped up.

"I'm sure it's fine," Amelie said, taking the baguette from her. "Thank you Lena."

The brunette nodded, her gaze still on the floor.

" _Adieu cherie_ ," Amelie added before she leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Lena's cheek. "Perhaps we will see each other again someday?"

Lena had turned bright red by now, and she merely nodded as Amelie walked past her, her feet feeling rooted to the spot.

"Lena."

The brunette turned at the sound of her name, seeing Jack standing a few feet away.

"Come with me."

Lena followed the commander into the command room, sitting in one of the chairs. "Have I done something wrong, sir?"

"Guilty conscience?"

Lena colored. "N-no, I just—"

"I want to discuss the results of your flight simulator test."

"Oh." Lena could feel her stomach fluttering, and she fought to keep her legs from restlessly bouncing.

"Give me a moment to pull the files up."

Lena nodded, her gaze wandering to the window. She watched as the Lacroixs entered the waiting transport, which closed behind them before taking off. The brunette's brow furrowed as her gaze fell on two black jets that began to follow the transport as it departed.

"I didn't realize we were having jets escort transports now," Lena said.

"We don't," Jack said, not looking up from the screen in front of him.

"Then what are those?"

Jack let out a sigh as he looked up, his eyes widening upon seeing the black jets. "Shit." The commander's hand flew to his communicator as he said, "Tell the transport pilot to turn around now!"

There was the sound of a missile being fired, followed by the sound of impact and black smoke.

"Damn it!"

"Jack, what was that?" Ana asked, coming into the room.

"The transport is being ambushed; they're probably after Gerard." Jack swore again before he added, "We need a pilot!"

"We don't have any right now," Ana said, the concern in her voice apparent.

"We can't just leave them to be killed!"

Lena looked back out the window, her gaze falling on the lone jet sitting on the flight deck. She knew that model well; she had been studying the manual and had even snuck out at night to sit in it a few times.

 _Someone has to do something…_

Lena ran from the room, making her way downstairs and out towards the flight deck, stopping only to grab a helmet. As the cockpit opened, Lena put the helmet on, climbing inside the jet. She pressed the button to close the cockpit, taking a deep breath as she studied the control panel.

"First things first: activate electrical power to the fuel system."

" _Lena_!" Jack's voice came sharply over the communicator in her helmet, and Lena winced. _"Lena, you get out of that jet this instant_!"

"I can't do that sir."

" _Lena, I am giving you a direct order—"_

"With all due respect, sir, I am not officially part of Overwatch. If you wish to punish me as a civilian taking a fighter jet, then do so, but I cannot sit around and allow innocent people to be killed."

" _Lena, those jets belong to Talon. They are a very aggressive and violent group that will not hesitate to shoot you down_ ," Ana said. " _Please, don't do this_."

"I'm sorry Captain, but I have to." Lena finished starting up the jet, and she took a deep breath as she took hold of the controls. "Taking off in three, two—"

" _Lena, this is your last chance—"_

"One!" Lena started the jet forward, pulling back on the controls once the jet began to lift into the air. It was one thing to study how to fly the jet, but actually doing it… Lena would be lying if she said she wasn't slightly terrified. It was thrilling, for sure; she loved the feeling of flying, but once those black jets came into view, Lena felt her stomach clench tightly.

The transport was struggling to stay airborne, and Lena could see that it had been hit more than once. One more hit would surely bring it down, and most likely kill everyone inside.

"Okay, you wankers, come after me," Lena growled before she fired a missile at the first jet. The missile collided with the jet's wing, sending it into a deadly barrel roll before it crashed into the mountainside. "Yeah!"

The other jet was obviously alerted to her presence now, and turned sharply upwards. Lena began to give pursuit, doing her best to keep the black jet in her sights. It turned sharply again, beginning a slight descent into the mountain range, and Lena followed, firing another missile. The jet easily avoided it, and the missile crashed into the rocks, sending snow flying. Lena soon realized how reckless her decision might have been as she chased the black jet through the mountains, having to employ several evasive maneuvers to avoid smashing into the rocks.

" _Lena, status report."_

"I took down one jet and now I am currently in pursuit of the second. You may want to get someone out to the transport while this tosser is distracted."

A cliff wall near the brunette's jet suddenly exploded, and Lena's jet shook as it was peppered with rocks. She caught a glimpse of the black jet as it flew directly overhead, and her gaze met that of the masked pilot's inside. She could read no emotion in their face; they seemed completely empty, and it sent a shiver down the brunette's spine.

The jet disappeared behind her, and Lena turned her attention forward just in time to see that she was heading for a mountainside. "Whoa!" She pulled back as hard as she could on the controls, her jet turning upwards. She felt the bottom of the jet scrape against the rocks, and she let out grunt as the controls shook. She soon reached the open air and turned her jet around before righting it, starting after the black jet again. She fired another missile, but the black jet suddenly performed a wingover, and Lena found them flying directly at her.

"What the—" It took Lena a split second to realize that the other pilot had no intention of stopping, and there was no time for her to pull any evasive maneuver. Before she could think too much about it, Lena reached down and yanked the ejection lever.

* * *

Upon coming to, Lena found herself in the air, her canopy parachute deployed above her. The brunette could feel the heat from the fireball in the sky, and she realized that she must have been momentarily knocked out during ejection. The brunette quickly checked to make sure her seat had fallen away, and once she'd determined that she could move all her limbs, she tucked her knees and prepared herself for a hard landing.

Nothing she had read could prepare for what a hard landing really felt like.

The brunette let out a grunt and swear as she hit the ground hard, and she lay still for a few minutes, her body aching. She could hear approaching footsteps, and she soon saw Jack and Ana standing over her.

"Uh… cheers luvs," Lena said with a nervous chuckle.

"Are you all right? Is anything broken?" Ana asked, kneeling beside the brunette.

"I don't think so—"

"Good, then you can walk." Ana suddenly seized Lena by her ear, pulling her to feet.

"Ow! What is this for?"

"For doing something so incredibly reckless and stupid."

"I saved the transport, didn't I?"

"Yes you did, and that was very heroic of you, but now you are grounded."

"You can't—"

Ana paused to give her a very stern look, and Lena immediately conceded.

"Yes ma'am."


	10. Chapter 10

"Hey."

Lena looked up to see Winston approaching her, holding out a plate with a sandwich on it. "Is Ana letting me have visitors now?"

"I thought you could use a snack," he replied. "Look, I even shared my peanut butter with you."

Lena smiled at that, taking the plate from him. "Thanks luv."

Winston sat and watched her take a few bites from the sandwich before he said, "How is day three of being grounded?"

"Besides boring and humiliating?" Lena let out a sigh, looking down at her still splinted wrist. "I know that what I did was reckless and I could have been killed… but I had to do it Winston. I couldn't just let them kill the Lacroixs."

"I'm sure they appreciate it; Amelie sent you a thank you message."

"She did?!" Lena's head snapped up at that. "When did that happen? I haven't seen it!"

"That's because Ana is keeping it from you."

"What?!"

"She says when your grounding is over, you can see it."

Lena let out a sigh, blowing a piece of hair out of her face. "Well at least that's something to look forward to."

"I don't recall saying you could have visitors."

Lena and Winston looked up at the voice, seeing Ana entering the room.

"I was just leaving," Winston said, getting to his feet and quickly leaving the room, leaving the two women alone.

"I didn't ask him to come, he was just bringing me some food—"

"Do you know why I have punished you?"

Lena looked down at the floor. "Because I disobeyed you and Commander Morrison and risked my life to save the Lacroixs."

"And what do you have to say for yourself?"

Lena didn't even hesitate before she said, "I would do it again."

"Is that so? Even if you knew you could have been killed?"

"Yes."

"Even if you knew you would injure your wrist further?"

"Yes."

"Even if you knew I would punish you?"

"Captain, there is nothing that would have stopped me. I did what I thought was right, and I won't apologize for that."

Ana nodded. "You and Fareeha… there is nothing I can say that will deter you from the paths you have chosen, is there?"

Lena looked back up at Ana. "I just want to help people."

The older Amari nodded, letting out a sigh of resignation. "I know." There was a pause between them before Ana pulled over a chair. "Sit."

Lena moved from her bed into the chair, and after making a trip into the bathroom, Ana returned with a spray bottle. She stood behind Lena and began wetting her hair before she picked up a pair of scissors. "Keep your head still so I don't cut off some of your ear as well."

Lena nodded.

"Lena."

"Sorry, I'll be still."

Ana began trimming the brunette's hair, and Lena watched as the bits of hair fell to the floor.

"Didn't I give you a haircut when we first brought you to Switzerland? How does your hair grow back so quickly?" Ana asked.

"It's always been like that, I can't control it."

Ana muttered something else before she continued with the haircut.

There was a knock on the doorframe, and both women looked up to see Angela standing there.

"Am I interrupting?" the doctor asked.

"No, I am just giving Lena a haircut. As you can see, she desperately needs one," Ana replied. "Once I finish here and Angela completes your check-up, your punishment is over."

Lena brightened at that. "Then can I see the thank you message from Amelie?"

"How do you know—Winston." Ana shook her head. "Yes, I will show you the message if you behave for Dr. Ziegler."

Lena nodded, and Ana pulled the scissors away, giving her a look.

"Sorry, I'm not moving."

Once Ana finished the haircut, she brushed the loose hair off Lena's shoulders before she said, "She's all yours, Angela."

The blonde nodded before she approached, gently taking Lena's wrist in her hands.

"How does it feel today?"

"It still hurts, but I can move it a bit more."

"I expect it will hurt for quite a while. After you ejected, you landed rather roughly. You're lucky you didn't break it." Angela reached into her pocket, pulling out a vial and syringe. "Hold out your arm."

Lena did as she was told, looking away and wincing as Angela injected the medicine into her arm.

"Oh, by the way, this came for you today," the doctor added after she capped the syringe, reaching into her pocket and holding out an envelope.

"Thank you," Lena said, taking the envelope. Upon looking down at it, she noticed that the address was from London. "This… this is from my family." She opened it up, pulling out a folded piece of paper and beginning to read it over. Her expression quickly changed, and Angela could sense that something wasn't right.

"Lena? What is it?"

"I… I have to… go." Lena rushed from the room, dropping the paper as she went.

"Lena—"

The brunette was gone before Ana could finish, and the captain looked over at the doctor. "What is that paper?"

Angela stooped down to pick up the paper and quickly looked it over, her expression turning sad. "Oh…"

* * *

Lena jackknifed her legs closer to her body as she continued to sob, burying her face in her knees. She hadn't expected anything from her family after moving to Overwatch HQ, and being thrown out had been bad enough, but this…

The door to the bathroom suddenly opened, and Lena looked up to see Ana entering, closing the door behind her. Ana approached the brunette, kneeling to her level.

"You don't have to talk about this," Ana said, holding up the piece of paper. "Just listen. I know this hurts; I can't imagine a parent ever doing this to their child. But I also want you to know that this, it doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter?" Lena's voice shook. "My family has legally disowned me. They hate me so much—"

"So let them hate you. Does it change the person you are? Does this make you any less?"

Lena's brow furrowed slightly, and Ana took her hands in her own.

"Lena, this does not define you. You are still you; would this have stopped you from jumping in that jet and saving the Lacroixs?"

"I don't know…"

"Oh, you don't know? Suddenly, you don't want to help people anymore?"

"No, I do—"

"No, you don't want to help people?"

"I do want to help people!"

"My point exactly. This changes nothing, and it will only make you stronger." Ana held the paper out to her. "Now tell me: what does this mean to you?"

Lena sniffled a few times before she took the paper, looking down at it. The words were still there, and still hurt as much as it did before to read them.

"Take as much time as you need; I've raised a very stubborn child, I can wait," Ana said, crossing her arms.

Lena looked down at the paper again, waiting a minute or so longer before she folded the paper back up. "This… this means nothing," she said before she ripped it in half. She put the pieces together before ripping them in half again. "I am still Lena Oxton. I am still gay. And I still want to be a part of Overwatch."

"Good girl," Ana said, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping the brunette's face. "I have to admit, I was a little worried that you would wait too long and miss your party."

"Party?"

"Come."

Lena got to her feet and followed Ana from the bathroom, letting her lead her out to the command room where everyone was gathered.

"What… what is this?" the brunette asked.

"Consider it a congratulations."

"For what?"

"For proving that you're stupidly reckless enough to join us," Gabriel supplied.

Ana gave him a look before she turned back to Lena. "What Gabriel means is even though you disobeyed a direct order… your actions saved innocent lives. We're proud of you, Lena. I know it hasn't been very long, and we don't have terribly much to offer, but I hope you can see us as your family, just as we see you as one of us."

Lena couldn't find the words to respond, too overwhelmed by emotion, so she instead threw herself at Ana in an embrace.

"This is for you" Jack said, holding something out to the brunette.

Lena pulled away from Ana, taking the envelope from Jack and opening it. "This… this is admission to the pilot program at Watchpoint Gibraltar."

"You're going to be representing all of us here, so don't think this is a free pass for you to disobey authority again. That was a one time event; we don't make a habit of rewarding that kind of behavior."

Lena nodded, barely able to contain her excitement. "I won't let you down."

* * *

Lena looked at the bare mattress in front of her, and she took a deep breath before she set down the folded blanket and pillow she had been issued. This was really happening; she was really here at Watchpoint Gibraltar. Two years, that was all; two years and she'd be able to fly Slipstream. The brunette sat on the bed before she set her bag down and pulled out the tablet Ana had given her, powering it on. She selected the file labeled "Lacroix thank you" and opened it, starting the video.

" _Is it on? Is it recording?"_

" _Yes dear, it's recording."_

Amelie nodded before turning her attention back to the camera. " _Hello Lena. I am recording this message as a sort of thank you for your… what is the word… what you did for us… merde, quel est le mot… rescue! Yes, the rescue. I know you took a great risk for us, and I do not think we will ever be able to repay you. All I can give you is my gratitude, and say thank you again. Merci beaucoup. I hope I can see you again one day to thank you in person. Until then, adieu cherie."_

The video ended, and Lena smiled. The tablet suddenly began beeping, and Lena realized that someone was attempting to video call her. She pressed accept, her face lighting up upon seeing who it was.

"Fareeha!"

"Hello Lena. Sorry for the delay; I haven't had a free moment in quite some time." Fareeha's brow furrowed slightly. "Where are you? It doesn't look like HQ."

"You won't believe what's happened! When the Lacroixs left HQ, two Talon jets attacked their transport and we didn't have a pilot so I jumped into the jet on the landing strip and I went after them and I managed to shoot one down, but the other one was determined to kill me—"

"Wait, slow down. You fought Talon in a jet? And everyone was okay with that?"

"Well, not exactly. I may have told Commander Morrison that he didn't have any control over me before I took it, and then after I ejected, Captain Amari sort of grounded me."

"She grounded you?"

Lena colored at Fareeha's tone. "Only for three days…"

"I see. And what does this have to do with where you are now?"

"Oh, right! Well after my grounding was over, Commander Morrison gave me my admission letter to the pilot program at Watchpoint Gibraltar!"

"You're in the pilot program? I thought you had to be eighteen."

"I guess I really impressed them."

"Considering you took down two Talon jets on your own, I'd say they really had no other choice."

"Fareeha… what is Talon? Your mother wouldn't tell me anything about them, other than they're aggressive and violent. Why did they go after the Lacroixs?"

Fareeha let out a sigh. "Overwatch has been fighting Talon for years. They believe in instilling chaos and undermining everything Overwatch does."

"But why?"

"Because they believe that their cause is what is right."

Lena didn't like the sound of that, and she decided to change the subject. "How is it over there in Egypt?"

Fareeha half-shrugged. "Nothing to complain about; it's my home, after all." A pause. "How is everyone at HQ?"

"They're all about the same, or they were when I left."

Fareeha nodded. "… And my mother?"

"She…" Lena bit her lip before she let out a sigh. "She misses you."

"I doubt that. She hasn't reached out to me—"

"Well have you tried to contact her?"

Fareeha looked away before she said, "Other than saving her life, did you try any moves on Amelie before you left?"

Lena flushed at that. "I gave her a gift before she left—"

"Ooooh, what did you get her?"

"I-I don't want to say—"

"Come on."

"It's embarrassing."

"It's just me, Lena."

Lena looked down before she mumbled, "I gave her a baguette."

Fareeha blinked. "I'm sorry, you gave her a what?"

"A baguette."

"You gave Amelie… a baguette."

"Yeah."

"… Why?"

"Well, it wasn't my idea, McCree said she liked French things and that I should get her something French, and then he said it would make sense because I like tea—"

"Okay, this is a lesson I should have taught you before I left, but don't listen to anything Jesse McCree says. He likes to play jokes on people."

"… So he told me… as a joke?"

"I have no doubt."

"Shite…" Lena covered her face with her hands, feeling her embarrassment spike. "I can't believe I listened to him, Amelie must think I am such an arse—"

"Don't freak out; what did she do when you gave it to her?"

"She took it and gave me a kiss on the cheek."

"Oh, she kissed you?"

Lena could feel her face growing hotter at the memory. "Yeah…"

"Well, see, that proves that she doesn't totally hate you. Besides, I'm sure saving her from Talon makes up for it." Fareeha looked down. "I wish I were that lucky…"

"Dr. Ziegler doesn't hate you."

"Well she isn't happy with me." Fareeha let out a sigh. "I can't focus on that anyway, I need to focus on my training here." The younger Amari looked back at Lena. "Listen, I have to go, but I really am proud of you. You show them what you can do."

"Will do. Stay safe."

Fareeha gave Lena a salute before she ended the call, and the brunette turned her attention to the task of making her bed.

"Show them what you can do…"


	11. Chapter 11

"Wake up!"

The sudden sound of a bugle playing jerked Lena from her sleep, and she let out a yelp, falling from her cot. The brunette quickly got to her feet, noticing that all the other airman basics were beginning to make their beds. Lena did her best to follow suit, tucking in the corners messily and struggling to smooth out the creases.

The other soon finished with the beds and began to change into their jumpsuits, standing at attention at the foot of their beds upon finishing.

"Jeez, have you never made a bed before?"

Lena looked up from where she was fighting with the zipper of her jumpsuit, finding the dark-skinned girl who slept in the cot next to her looking at her. "Not really…" Lena finished her zipper, pulling her sleeves back so that her hands were free. The jumpsuit was a bit loose on her thin frame, and Lena hoped she would grow into it.

"Well, you'd better learn quickly. The commanders don't approve of messy beds." The girl began to quickly fix Lena's cot, soon having it looking quite presentable.

"Thanks," the brunette said.

"You're new here, aren't you?"

"Uh… I thought we were all new here."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Well, yes, but most of us were here last week, preparing for the training program, and you just showed up last night."

"Oh… I didn't realize everyone else came so early."

The girl gestured for Lena to stand at attention at the foot of her bed, which the brunette did.

"What's your name?" the girl asked.

"Lena Oxton."

"Vasha Oladele."

The door suddenly opened, and Lena saw a commander entering. All the airman basics raised their hands to their foreheads in a salute, and Lena did the same.

The commander made his way down the aisle, looking between the airman basics and their made beds. He paused upon reaching Lena, and the brunette glanced up at him.

"What seems to be the problem with your jumpsuit, airman basic?"

"My jumpsuit, sir?"

The commander reached over, pulling Lena's sleeve down from where it had covered her hand again.

"Oh… this is the one I was given, sir."

"What's your name, airman basic?"

"Lena Oxton, sir."

The commander's eyes narrowed slightly. "Airman Basic Oxton. So you're the one Commander Morrison sent over to us. The way he talked about you, I expected more than a child."

"What did he say about me?" Lena asked, lowering her hand slightly.

"Put that salute back up, no one told you to be at ease!"

Lena quickly scrambled to fix her salute, the sudden yell having startled her.

"Don't expect any special treatment, Airman Basic Oxton. You will be treated the same as every other airman basic, and if you can't keep up, you will be left behind. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

The commander moved on, and Lena let out the breath she'd been holding.

* * *

"So you know Jack Morrison?"

Lena sat across from Vasha, setting her tray of food on the table. "Yep, I came over here from Overwatch HQ—"

"Wait, how old are you?"

"Just turned sixteen last week."

Vasha's brow furrowed. "And you were at the HQ in Switzerland?"

"Well, I wasn't an active agent or anything like that. Captain Amari brought me over there so I wouldn't have to stay in the apartment by myself—"

"Hold on, are you talking about Ana Amari?"

"… Well, I don't call her that, I call her Captain Amari, but yeah. She took me in when she and Commander Morrison came to King's Row, I was homeless at the time."

"And how did you end up here?"

"Okay, so the Lacroixs came to HQ for a visit, and when they left, two Talon jets attacked their transport, and we didn't have a pilot so I jumped in a jet and went after them, and I managed to shoot one down and I was like 'You wankers!' and the other one was giving me a bit of trouble, so I had to chase 'im down—"

"Hold on." Vasha looked increasingly confused, and she seemed to be trying to keep up with Lena's rapid style of speech. "You just decided to jump into a jet and take on two Talon jets by yourself?"

"Well someone had to do something, we couldn't just let them kill the Lacroixs. Captain Amari wasn't very happy with me though, she sort of grounded me afterwards."

Vasha was just staring at her now.

"What?"

"Just… I mean, I would definitely think you're lying to me if you didn't look so innocent and sound so genuine right now."

Lena smiled slightly. "I suppose it does all sound rather fantastical. I have a hard time believing it myself sometimes."

The two began eating their food, and Lena glanced around the room. There appeared to only be about twenty airman basics, and Lena could tell that she was definitely the youngest.

"What was it like?" Vasha asked, pulling Lena's attention back.

"What was what like?"

"Flying the jet."

"Oh!" Lena smiled at the memory. "It was… amazing, really. I mean, I was terrified the whole time, but it was also exciting. Being so high up and able to see everything… it's unlike any other feeling in the world." Lena paused. "Have you never flown before?"

"Honestly, I don't think anyone in this room has flown a jet by themselves. I'm surprised you managed to get it off the ground and not end up in a million pieces."

"Oh, well… the jet didn't exactly make it out…"

Vasha arched a dark eyebrow. "Oh?"

Lena could feel her face growing hot. "In my defense, it wasn't my fault. The second Talon jet, the one I said was giving me trouble, it came flying right at me, and I didn't have time to do anything else but eject."

"Ah, I see. So you have yet to successfully land a jet."

"I'm zero for one right now, but hopefully my record improves while I'm here."

Vasha laughed, a sound that Lena found she had a definite interest in hearing again. "I don't think they would appreciate crash landings here."

"Speaking of, when do we get to fly?"

"Oh, you're getting way ahead of yourself. I doubt we'll do much flying until at least after the first six months."

"Six months? What are we supposed to do until then?"

"We have classes to attend and physicals to go through." Vasha's brow furrowed. "Don't you know anything about this program?"

"I know it's for pilots."

Vasha gave her a flat look.

"Okay, I don't really know anything about it."

"Then why did you come out here?"

"Because I want to be a pilot."

"But why? You're so young."

"Why does everyone keep focusing on that? My sister took me flying, I liked it, and I knew then what I wanted to do. My age doesn't affect any of that."

"Oh, so your sister is a pilot?"

"No, Fareeha built her own rocket suit and took me out with her on the test flight. Captain Amari wasn't happy when we got back, but Fareeha enlisted in the Egyptian army and now she's over there."

Vasha was staring again. "What even is your life?" She shook her head, looking back down at her tray of food. "Next you're going to tell me that you can time travel or something."

Lena laughed. "No, no I can't do that."

* * *

Lena had been to school before of course. Back in King's Row, her parents had sent her to a private academy, which had forced the brunette to wear a rather uncomfortable uniform.

This was different. The airman basics were all assembled in a sort of lecture hall, and while they still had a uniform of sorts, Lena found this to be far more interesting. A captain was standing at the front of the room, going over the basics of the mechanisms of flight, and Lena was doing her best to keep up while scrawling notes in the notebook she'd been given.

Vasha was sitting next to her, also taking notes, though she appeared to be much calmer than Lena felt. The brunette glanced over at Vasha's notes, noting her elegant style of writing. Lena looked back at her own notes, which appeared to be chicken scratch in comparison. The brunette looked back at Vasha, finding herself watching her companion a bit longer than necessary.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," Vasha whispered, her gaze not breaking away from her notes.

Lena immediately colored and quickly turned her attention back to the captain's lecture, doing her best to ignore the sudden fluttering in her chest.

* * *

"So what are the physical tests we need to go through?"

Vasha looked up from her book. The two were sitting on a wall overlooking the water, enjoying their free time before dinner. "Jeez Lena, you really didn't prepare at all before you cam here, did you?"

"I told you, it was all very sudden and unexpected. I practically had to beg Commander Morrison to let me take the test in the flight simulator."

Vasha shook her head. "The way you talk about them, it's like Overwatch is your family."

"They are my family. Commander Morrison, Captain Amari, Doctor Ziegler, Reinhardt, Winston, all of them. They took me in when my parents abandoned me."

"You mentioned being homeless before… what happened?"

Lena looked down at her notebook, which she had been aimlessly doodling in.

"Sorry… I guess that's a little personal." Vasha paused a moment before she added, "They're going to test us in all the basics: running, push-ups, sit-ups, chin-ups… you get the idea. They're also going to make sure we're all in good health and can handle the high intensity demands of being a pilot."

Lena nodded.

"I guess you already know the answer to that question though."

Lena smiled slightly. "I dunno; I didn't actually fly high enough to need an oxygen mask, so I guess we'll find out."

The brunette's bag suddenly began beeping, and Lena picked it up, rummaging through it and pulling out her tablet.

"You better put that away," Vasha said.

"But it's my sister—"

"Airman Basic Oxton!"

The brunette jumped, immediately getting to her feet and saluting the commander in front of her. "Yes sir?"

"What is that device?"

"My tablet, sir. My sister is calling me—"

"Are you aware of the rules about such devices?"

"… No sir."

The commander didn't look pleased with that answer (well, less pleased than before). "I should pull a 341 from you for that, Airman Basic Oxton."

"A 341, sir?"

Vasha was shaking her head, one hand over her eyes.

"Drop and give me five," the commander said.

Lena wasn't entirely sure what that meant, and she had a bad feeling about asking. "… Five what, sir?"

"Good God, I would have thought Commander Morrison would have trained you better than this. I can see why he sent you to us. Push-ups, Airman Basic Oxton. Five push-ups."

"Right now?"

"Now!"

The brunette quickly dropped into push-up position.

"Count them off, Airman Basic Oxton. Down!"

"One," Lena managed, her voice slightly strained.

"I can't hear you, Airman Basic Oxton! Let's start again; down!"

"One!"

* * *

"I have to admit Lena, that was pretty hard to watch earlier."

The brunette gave Vasha a look from where she was sitting across from her. Dinner had started five minutes ago, and Lena was currently having trouble lifting her fork. The commander had apparently been rather hard of hearing, and in the end, Lena had ended up doing fifteen push-ups, being forced to hold the "down" position for longer than necessary a few times.

"I'm not used to doing push-ups, okay? And I'm definitely not used to being yelled at for no reason."

Vasha let out an amused noise. "That's because you're not an official Overwatch agent. Trust me, your Commander Morrison and Captain Amari are only nice to you now because you're still a civilian."

Lena didn't entirely believe that was true, and she changed the subject as she asked, "What did he mean earlier when he said 341?"

Vasha reached into the front pocket of her jumpsuit, pulling out two forms. "These are 341 forms. You need to carry two on you at all times. If we screw up, or we manage to do something that actually impresses a captain or commander, they'll ask for one of these. They fill it out and hand it over to our superiors, and the proper action is taken." Vasha replaced the forms in her pocket.

"So I'm not allowed to use my tablet?" Lena asked.

"You can only use it in the barracks when we're not on duty."

"Oh." A pause. "Why didn't you tell me that earlier?"

Vasha gave her a look. "I didn't know you had one; besides, I did try and warn you when you first pulled it out."

Lena made an incoherent noise, looking back down at her food.

"You do remember that I said push-ups would be a physical requirement, right?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Well, based on what I saw today, you need a lot of practice, my friend."

The brunette sighed. "I think I'm beginning to see why Captain Amari wanted me to wait…"

"Changing your mind?"

"Not a chance."

* * *

"Come on Lena, you have to be able to do more than ten push-ups without struggling."

The brunette gave Vasha a look. "Let's see you do some then if you're so infinitely talented."

"You don't want me to do that."

"Because you can't either."

Vasha gave Lena a look. "All right, just remember that you drove me to this." She dropped to the floor and began doing push-ups with perfect form, catching Lena by surprise. The brunette could only stare as Vasha continued, her pace remaining consistent and giving no sign that she was even close to tired.

"Okay, I get it," Lena said once Vasha had reached thirty. "You can do a lot of push-ups."

Vasha paused, locking her arms and looking up at the brunette. "Oh, can I? I lost count."

"Show off."

"No, showing off would be if I did this." Vasha put one arm behind her back and did ten more, which suddenly made Lena feel very odd.

"You can stop now, I admit I was wrong."

Vasha sat back, gesturing for Lena to resume push-up position. "Come on, try again."

Lena let out a sigh, but moved into position, lowering herself once.

"No, no, those will never fly." Vasha stood and moved over to the brunette, reaching down and pushing Lena's hips down, causing the brunette to immediately flush. "You butt can't be sticking up like that, your body has to be in a straight line."

Lena lowered herself again, her arms shaking slightly. "This is harder."

"It's not supposed to be easy. Just be thankful I'm not sitting on your back."


	12. Chapter 12

"The preliminary test is in two days, and you have to be able to do at least ten of these."

"I know, you don't have to keep reminding me of my shortcomings."

Vasha rolled her eyes, watching as Lena struggled to pull her chin over the pull-up bar. After a few more seconds, she finally succeeded, and the brunette let her arms go slack.

"One. Congrats."

Lena scowled at Vasha over her shoulder. "Do you feel like saying anything helpful?"

"Sure. You need to work on your upper body strength."

"Thanks."

Vasha rolled her eyes before she approached, intertwining her fingers and placing her hands under Lena's foot. "All right, come on, up."

Lena struggled to pull herself back up, and Vasha assisted by lifting her slightly. After managing to get herself up two more times, Lena's arms gave out, and the brunette dropped suddenly, bringing Vasha down with her.

"A warning would have been nice," Vasha said from where she was currently lying on the floor, Lena on top of her.

"Sorry." The brunette came aware of the feeling of Vasha's body against her own, and she colored, quickly sitting up and rubbing the back of her head. "Are… are you okay?"

"Nothing that won't heal." Vasha sat up as well, looking over at the brunette's red face. "Everything okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm good."

"You're just bright red right now—"

"I-I just did three whole pull-ups, and it's very… exerting."

Vasha didn't look convinced, and Lena got to her feet, offering her companion a hand. Vasha took it, and the brunette helped her to her feet.

"Shall we try again?" Vasha asked. "This time, warn me when you're about to let go, okay? I'd like to make it to the test in one piece."

* * *

"You ignored my call last week."

"I didn't ignore you—"

"You didn't pick up."

Lena made a face. "For your information, you called me when I was technically on duty, and then a commander saw me with the tablet and he yelled at me and made me do fifteen push-ups."

"You already got in trouble?"

Lena gave her sister a look. "It's your fault, you know."

Fareeha smiled somewhat sheepishly, running a hand through her hair. "I guess I should say sorry, but did you learn your lesson?"

"Well, yeah; I didn't really like being forced to do push-ups—"

"Especially considering the fact that you're terrible at them," Vasha added, coming over to join the brunette on her bed.

"I am not terrible!" Lena protested, coloring slightly and turning her attention to Vasha. "I just can't do very many at one time…"

Vasha let out an amused snort, turning her attention to the tablet in Lena's hands. "Is this your sister, the one who got you in trouble?"

"Glad to see that's your first impression of me," Fareeha muttered.

"Yeah, this is my sister Fareeha. Fareeha, this is Vasha," Lena said.

Vasha suddenly took the tablet from Lena's hands, ignoring the brunette's protests as she stood up.

"Hey!" Lena quickly stood as well, reaching for her tablet, but Vasha had at least six inches over her, and was able to easily straight-arm her.

"Fareeha, are you aware that your sister is unable to do more than three consecutive pull-ups? And that was with my assistance," Vasha said.

"I was not aware," Fareeha replied.

"Give it back!" Lena said, now jumping in an attempt to get past Vasha's straight-arm technique.

"Rest assured I am working with her though, and while I can't do much about her height, I can get her muscles in shape," Vasha continued.

Fareeha laughed before she said, "Well, sounds like Lena is in good hands. I have to go now Lena, but I'll call again when I can. Good luck!" The younger Amari hung up, and the tablet went dark.

"Well, your sister is great, I like her—"

"Vasha!" Lena decided to go low, tackling her companion around the waist and bringing them both down onto Vasha's bed in a heap.

Vasha was laughing now, and Lena found herself flushing at the sudden intimate distance between them.

 _No, no, I can't feel this, not here, not now, not for another airman basic!_

Lena attributed it to the fact that she was far from her Overwatch family, and that Vasha had been the first person to be nice to her. That had to be it; that had to be the source of this crush she'd developed. It would go away soon enough—

"Lena?'

The brunette was jerked back to reality by Vasha's voice, and she looked down at her companion, who was looking at her questioningly now. "Y-yeah?"

"Did you hear me?"

"No, sorry, I was too busy enjoying my victory over you."

Vasha arched an eyebrow. "So quick to declare victory? That's not going to serve you well as a pilot." Vasha suddenly flipped their positions, and Lena found herself being pinned to the mattress in a move that was reminiscent of her training with Fareeha. "Thoughts?"

Lena swallowed hard; there was a whole jumble of thoughts going through her head so quickly that she couldn't focus on just one.

"You know, you're cute when you're flustered," Vasha added, noting her silence.

That definitely wasn't helping. "Please get off…" Lena said weakly.

Vasha's brow furrowed at the sudden change in the brunette's tone, and she backed off, letting Lena sit up. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to make you upset…"

"I… I have to go." Lena quickly got to her feet and ran for the latrine, slamming the door shut behind her.

* * *

"Okay, I admit, running is definitely something you have over me." Vasha doubled over, trying to catch her breath. "You make it look so easy, like you could just keep going forever."

Lena smiled slightly at that. "I've always enjoyed running, and I've been told I have more energy than normal people should."

"Who told you that?"

Lena paused as she counted. "Um… pretty much everyone I've met."

Vasha laughed, which resulted in her beginning to cough before gasping for air. "Okay, that was a bad idea, haven't caught my breath yet." She took a few more deep breaths before she straightened up. "If you run like that during our test, you'll definitely lose me."

"Maybe I can leave some sort of trail for you, like smoke or something."

"Yeah, like a tracer bullet." Vasha's eyes suddenly lit up. "Hey, that's not half bad."

"What, me leaving a smoke trail?"

"No, having Tracer be your call sign."

Lena's brow furrowed. "I'm not really following."

"Come on Lena, you know every agent has a call sign they use out in the field. Yours could be Tracer." Vasha nodded with a smile. "You know, the more I say it, the more I like it."

"So you think I should respond to being called Tracer?"

"See, I like it even more when you say it."

* * *

Rain was nothing new for Lena; she was from England, after all. Still, waking up to rain on the day of their physical test was not entirely a good omen, and Lena had a heavy pit sitting in her stomach.

"Vasha… what happens if I don't pass the initial test?" Lena asked as they two made their beds.

"Then it was nice knowing you, my friend."

"You mean they'll kick me out?" Fear immediately gripped Lena at the thought. She had worked so hard to get here; if they sent her back now, what would everyone think? Would they even take her back? Commander Morrison had told her that she was representing all of them… how could she let them down?

"Calm down, I was joking. They won't kick you out, but you won't get to move on to actual pilot training either," Vasha said.

"I thought you said we wouldn't get to fly until six months in—"

"And that's still true, but there is preparation we need to go through before they let us in a jet."

Lena looked down at her bed, smoothing out the blanket.

"Don't look so upset; if you fail, which is still an 'if', then you'll have two more chances to try and pass."

"And if I still fail?"

"Then you will be kicked out."

"… Are you being serious this time?"

"This time I am, yes."

Lena could practically feel the color drain from her face, and she must have looked terrified because Vasha frowned before she approached the brunette. "Hey, don't even think about that. You don't even know how today is going to go; just focus on your test and I'm sure you'll be fine."

Lena nodded, sincerely hoping that was true.

* * *

The run had been no problem; she ended up with one of the top times, but Lena knew that had been the easy part. The sit-ups had also gone well, and she'd even managed to eek out the required number of push-ups. All that was left now was the pull-ups, and as Lena faced the metal bar, she had a sinking feeling in her gut.

Vasha had just finished her own set, and as she approached the brunette, she offered her a slight smile, whispering, "Good luck."

Lena took a deep breath before she stepped forward, jumping up to catch the bar. The brunette slowly pulled herself up once, her muscles already aching from the earlier push-ups. Lena lowered herself before she struggled to pull herself up again, just managing to get her chin over the bar. Her arms shook as she lowered herself again, and the shaking only intensified as she strained to pull herself up a third time. She hung in limbo for a few moments as her arms refused to move.

"Do you intend to make up wait all day, Airman Basic Oxton?" she heard the commander yell. "Either shit or get off the pot!"

Lena did her best to ignore him as she continued her struggle.

"We all know you're going to let go, so just stop wasting our time!"

Lena refused, and she finally managed to get her chin over the bar a third time. Her arms finally gave out, and she dropped to the ground, her arms feeling as though they'd been filled with lead.

The commander's face was suddenly looking down at her, and Lena winced internally. "A pitiful display, Airman Basic Oxton."

Lena let out a sigh, letting her head fall back against the ground as the overwhelming feeling of disappointment and defeat settled over her.

* * *

"Lena, we haven't heard from you in weeks, how—" Ana stopped upon seeing the expression on Lena's face. "What happened, what's wrong?"

Lena shook her head, not wanting to admit her failure.

"Don't you shake your head at me; something obviously happened. Was it another Airman Basic? Did they say something, or do something to you?"

Lena shook her head again, her gaze wandering down. "… I failed my initial physical test."

Ana's brow furrowed slightly. "Oh, is that all?"

Lena's head snapped back up. "What do you mean, is that all? It's a big deal! Everyone else gets to move onto other pilot training, and I'm stuck behind! And I only get two more chances to pass, and if I can't, they'll toss me out like rubbish, just like my parents did—"

"Then you'll come home, and reapply—"

Lena's brow furrowed. "Just… come home? Won't you all be upset with me?"

"Why would we be upset?"

"Because I failed…"

Ana let out a sigh. "Lena, I realize that I may have pressured you into making a premature decision. I just… you have so much potential and a bright future ahead of you, and I just wanted to make sure you knew that. I didn't want you to think that what your parents did was a reflection on you… but if the pilot program is too much for you, then that is on me. You will always be able to come home, Lena; I promise that we will all love you just the same. Nothing will ever change that."

Lena could feel tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, and she quickly swiped at them.

"Are you all right?" she heard Ana ask.

"Y-yes… I'm all right."

"Good. Now I must go, Jack is yelling for me for the third time. Keep your head up and just do your best, all right?"

"I will. Thank you Captain Amari."

"Goodbye, ḥabībti."

Ana hung up, and Lena let out a sigh as she put the tablet to sleep.

"Hey."

Lena turned to see Vasha approaching, and she set her tablet aside. "Hi."

"How are you feeling?" Vasha asked, sitting on the bed beside her.

"Like shite, honestly…"

Vasha nodded before she held a cupcake out to the brunette. "Here. You like chocolate, right?"

Lena smiled slightly, taking the cupcake from her. "Thanks luv." A thought crossed her mind, and she added, "Wait, where did you get this? The mess hall doesn't make these."

"I went into town."

"Town? But I thought—" Lena's eyes widened with realization. "You snuck out?!"

"You don't need to announce it to everyone; are you trying to get one of my 341's pulled?" Vasha leaned back against the pillow, stretching out and putting her hands behind her head. "Besides, I figured you needed a little cheering up."

Lena licked at the frosting a bit before taking a bite, feeling some of the frosting end up on her nose.

"Look, I know you're feeling down right now, but it's not the end of the world. You still have two more chances to pass the test, and all we need to do is work up your muscles so you can do seven more pull-ups," Vasha said.

"That's easy for you to say; you get to move onto to the real pilot training," Lena muttered.

"Trust me, I'd be a lot happier if you were moving on with me. You're the only interesting person around here."

"Is it the British accent? I know that gets a lot of people."

Vasha laughed. "No, Lena, your accent is not what makes me like you. I like you for you, it's as simple as that."

"Oh… well… I like you too." Lena quickly turned her attention back to her cupcake, her face pinking slightly. If Vasha knew about her crush, she certainly wasn't making it easy on the brunette, that was for sure. All Lena could do was hope that whatever these feelings were, they went away soon. She had come here to become a pilot after all, not to advertise the fact that she was a gay mess.

"You planning on sharing any of that?" Vasha asked.

Lena paused, looking down at the half-eaten cupcake. "I mean, you should have said something earlier… I could have split it in half before biting into it…"

"You're right, I might catch your cooties and start talking in a British accent," Vasha teased. "Cheers, mate!"

Lena made a face. "That didn't sound anything like me."

"Just eat your cupcake before I wise up and take it back."


	13. Chapter 13

"Come on, keep up!"

"Lena seriously, slow down. You should not have this much energy."

Lena paused and waited for her companion to catch up. "It's been a year and half, you know. You should have built up some endurance by now."

Vasha gave the brunette a look. "Look here Miss All-My-Height-Comes-From-My-Legs, you still have trouble doing fifteen pull-ups—"

"But I can do them."

"And I can run, just not at your six minute mile pace." Vasha straightened up, brushing a few errant hairs from her face. In the year and a half since they'd arrived, Vasha had grown even taller (if that was possible), and Lena had managed to grow a full four inches, which allowed her to just meet the minimum height requirement for pilots.

"Are you ready to keep going?" Lena asked after a few more moments.

Vasha nodded, and Lena took off again.

"Seriously, what did I just say about the running?"

* * *

"Our first flight test is tomorrow."

Vasha let out a noise of affirmation. The two had finished their run and had returned to the barracks to wash up before dinner.

"Do you still want to place bets on which one of us is going to become a squadron leader?" Vasha asked as she brushed out her long hair before putting it back up in a tight bun.

"I already know it's going to be you," Lena replied.

"No confidence in yourself?"

"I didn't say you were a better pilot; I just think you're a better leader."

Vasha gave the brunette a look. "Now you think you're a better pilot than me?"

"… I mean… I have the highest marks right now."

"Oh, bite me Oxton."

* * *

Lena had taken to the sky quite a few times since she'd been at Watchpoint Gibraltar, but it was still a rush every time her jet raced down the runway before taking off, causing the ground below to disappear.

"Easy on that ascent Tracer, unless you want to pass out," she heard Vasha say over the comm.

"Why don't you just worry about yourself, Sarabi?" the brunette replied. Vasha had been all too excited to announce that call sign for herself a year ago, insisting that it was perfect for her, seeing as it meant "mirage" ("You look once and see me, and then you look again and I'm gone").

Lena's looked out across the horizon, her eyes scanning for any signs of the black jet that represented Talon. The test was to see which team could shoot it down the quickest and most efficiently, and Lena knew this was where she needed to prove herself.

A sudden black shape streaking across the sky caught her attention, and Lena looked over to see that it was the Talon jet. "Enemy detected. I'm moving in." Lena turned her jet and began to give chase, beginning to catch up.

"Easy Tracer; you don't know what they have planned—"

"I'm almost close enough to launch a missile—"

The Talon jet suddenly performed a Split-S catching Lena by surprise and effectively ruining her missile attempt.

"Bollocks!" Lena quickly performed a wingover, beginning to give chase again.

"Gave you the slip, did they?" she heard Vasha say.

"Only for a second."

"Why don't you fall back on pure pursuit, and I'll maintain lag pursuit. That way we can be ready for any evasive maneuvers."

Lena nodded. "See, this is why you should be squadron leader. All right, I'm engaging in pure pursuit." Lena began to close the distance between herself and the Talon jet, though not as quickly as before.

"Do you have a lock on them?" Vasha asked.

Lena glanced down at the radar display. "Affirmative."

"Take the shot and bring them down."

"You got it." Lena pressed the fire button, watching as the simulated missile traveled across her radar display before striking the other jet. "Direct hit!"

The Talon jet quickly descended as if it had been hit, and Lena heard a bit of static on the comm before it was followed by the commander's voice.

"All right, come back in for a landing you two."

"Roger that. We're coming in."

* * *

"See, just like I said before: higher marks."

Vasha crossed her arms, giving the brunette a look. "You only scored a few points higher than me, and that's only because I let you take the shot—"

"You let me? If I recall, I was on their tail from the beginning."

"Do you also recall me being the one to advise you to switch pursuit methods?"

Lena paused a moment before she said, "Yes, well, that's why you were given the squadron leader insignia, isn't it?"

It was true; after their test, Vasha had been appointed the squadron leader, and was currently sporting said insignia on her sleeve, which was a thin blue band on a slightly wider black band between two narrow blue bands on slightly wider black bands.

"I suppose I just have a talent for keeping track of everyone," Vasha said.

"That's a fancy way of saying you're bossy."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Okay, that's it Oxton." Vasha suddenly lunged for her, and Lena quickly jumped out of the way with a grin.

"Not fast enough!"

"Is that a challenge?" Vasha lunged for her again, and Lena jumped back

"Too slow!" Lena took off down the path, hearing Vasha give chase behind her. The brunette soon reached the rock outcropping where they usually sat, and she hopped up onto it, turning back to face her companion. "Well, squadron leader, what's your next move?"

Vasha crossed her arms. "You have to come down sometime."

"Fat chance." A pause. "Actually, you're right, I have to go to the loo."

Vasha laughed, and Lena hopped down from the rock. She had just turned back to Vasha to say something else when she felt a hand run through her hair, and she found her companion moving very close to her. Both actions immediately caused Lena's brain to kick into a panicked overdrive, and she jumped back.

"Okay, hold on, what's going on here?!"

Vasha looked confused at Lena's sudden outburst. "I thought it was obvious—"

"Well it's not!" Lena's heart was racing. "You- you looked like you were trying to, you know… give me a snog."

"Oh my god, you are so British—"

"Vasha!"

"Okay, yes, I tried to kiss you, but why are you getting so crazy? It's so obvious that you have a crush on me; you've had it since the day we met, which was almost two years ago, by the way."

"I know when it was!" Lena has always had a feeling that she wasn't very subtle, and Vasha was exceptionally perceptive; that was not a combo that worked in the brunette's favor. She always managed to keep from acting on her feelings (which had not gone away as time had passed), but this… she hadn't planned for this. "If you knew how I felt, why didn't you just call me out? You don't have to embarrass me—"

"Is that what you think I'm doing?" Vasha shook her head. "Lena, did it occur to you that I tried to kiss you because I like you?"

"You… well we're friends, I would expect you like me." The brunette didn't want to assume and get her hopes up, so she chose to avoid saying the obvious.

"Lena, you know what I mean."

"… Well tell me anyway so I don't make a fool of myself."

"Oh my god." Vasha let out a sigh before she said, "I have romantic feelings for you, Lena Oxton, and I waited this long to act on them because you were young when we met, and I thought it was only fair to let you make the first move. Since that never happened, and we graduate in a month, I figured I should do something. Does that clear things up?"

Lena stared at her companion, the woman she had spent the past two years training and living with. She had hoped that Vasha felt something for her, but she had never expected that to actually be true. Now, to hear it out loud… Lena almost couldn't believe it.

"Lena? Are you still with me, or have you malfunctioned?" Vasha asked.

Lena finally managed to find her voice, and replied, "I just… I never thought... this is just… wow, I need to sit down." The brunette sat on a nearby rock, her brain still struggling to fully process everything.

"Is this the first time you've done this?" Vasha asked, approaching her companion.

"Kind of, yeah. I mean, I kind of had a crush before—"

"Oh, the French woman from your tablet."

Lena gave her a look. "But I knew that would never go anywhere, and I was okay with that. This… this is totally different."

"Wow… so if we started dating, then I'd be your first girlfriend." Vasha sat beside the brunette.

Girlfriend. The word sent a trill of excitement through the brunette, but it also scared her. This was the reason she had been thrown out of her home and onto the streets. This was the reason her family had chosen to legally disown her.

"I… yeah," Lena said, not sure what else to say. She looked out over the water, watching a barge pass by slowly. She felt a gentle touch on her hand, and she took a deep breath before she took Vasha's hand, intertwining their fingers. Her heart pounded in her chest, her face was growing hot, and she felt as though she would start vibrating from the excitement. Sitting here, holding Vasha's hand… Lena honestly loved everything about it.

* * *

"Vasha, are you in here?" Lena called as she entered the training room. She spotted Vasha on the far end, her back to the brunette as she continued jumping rope. "There you are; why did you just disappear like that? I was talking for about five minutes before I realized I was alone. If you're trying to make me look crazy, don't bother; I do that enough on my own."

There was no response from Vasha, and Lena rolled her eyes with a sigh.

"If I did something to upset you, I'd prefer you just tell me," Lena said as she approached. "No need to give me the cold shoulder-" Lena had reached Vasha and tapped her shoulder, which resulted in her companion seizing her arm and throwing her to the floor. The brunette let out a grunt as the wind was knocked out of her, and Vasha pressed a forearm against her throat, her other arm cocking back.

"Lena?" Vasha's brow furrowed slightly.

"Yes it's me, didn't you hear me when I came in? I was talking to you," the brunette replied, her voice slightly strained from the pressure of Vasha's arm against her throat.

"I was listening to my music; I didn't hear you." Vasha took her headphones out before slipping them into her pocket. "Besides, you know better than to sneak up on me."

"Yes, it's obviously my fault. Can you let me up now?"

Vasha pulled away and helped the brunette to her feet. "Did you need something?"

"I wanted to know why you just disappeared on me."

"Sorry, I was… I have a lot on my mind." Vasha picked up the jump rope she had dropped before she resumed.

Lena frowned slightly; this was not normal Vasha behavior. Something was obviously troubling her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to work out."

"By yourself, without telling me?"

"I don't have to tell you every aspect of my life—"

"Vasha."

Vasha let out a sigh. "Look, I don't really want to get into this—"

"Well that's too bad because I'm not going to just go away. You're my…" Lena was about to say friend, but it occurred to her that they were more than friends now. What they were… the word still seemed foreign, and Lena had trouble even thinking it, let alone saying it out loud. "We're together; you can talk to me."

Vasha sighed again, and she paused in her jump roping. "I guess I'm just a little homesick."

Lena's brow furrowed slightly. "I miss being home too, but why is this affecting you now, all of a sudden?"

Vasha reached into a pocket on her jumpsuit, pulling out a projection disc and pushing a button. An image of young girl who couldn't be older than three appeared, and Lena leaned in a bit closer.

"This is my sister, Efi; she's back at home in Numbani," Vasha said.

"She's so cute. You never told me you had a sister." Lena paused as another though struck her. "You've never really talked about your family before, actually."

"My family is… divided right now. It's complicated. Efi was barely a year old when I came here, and without me to act as a buffer between her and our parents… I'm just afraid she'll be caught in the middle."

Lena had an inkling now of what was upsetting Vasha. "You want to go home?"

"I just want to make sure everything is all right." Vasha turned the disc off and slipped it back inside her pocket. "Once I graduate, I'll be an official pilot for Overwatch, and then I can take Efi with me to the base in Numbani."

"So you're not just here for yourself then. You came here for her too."

Vasha nodded. "Two years away so I could guarantee her safety. Plus, who doesn't want to be able to fly? I mean, seriously."

Lena smiled at that. "Hard to argue there."


	14. Chapter 14

"Lena, Lena, come on, get up."

The brunette opened her eyes wearily to see Vasha standing over her. "What's going on?" she asked sleepily.

"Just get dressed."

Lena sat up with a yawn, seeing that all the other airman basics were getting dressed as well. "Okay, does someone want to tell me what's going on?"

"We're going out, now get dressed or we'll leave you behind," Vasha replied; she was wearing her street clothes, the first time Lena had seen her in such.

"Out? Out where?"

"Out into town."

"We're sneaking out? But we just had our final test today—"

"And you scored the highest of any of us, just as we all expected, so now it is time for us to enjoy ourselves and have some fun."

Lena still didn't look convinced, and Vasha let out a sigh.

"Lena, relax, every graduating class does this the week of graduation. It's a tradition, now come on, you have about five minutes to get dressed before we leave you behind."

Lena wasn't sure how she felt about breaking the rules, but she didn't want to be the only one left behind, so she got out of bed and changed into her street clothes.

"Nice hat," Vasha said when Lena put her Overwatch hat on.

"Thank you, my sister gave it to me."

"Did she kick it around first?"

"You know, just because we're... you know... that doesn't mean you don't have to be nice to me."

Vasha grinned, giving Lena a kiss on the cheek, causing the brunette to color lightly. "Are you ready to go?"

"Y-yeah."

* * *

Lena had only heard the emergency alarm go off once, and that was during a drill when they first arrived at Watchpoint Gibraltar. They had been trained in what to do if the Watchpoint was attacked, but that was never something that had thought would seriously happen.

The alarm going off and waking the airman basics in the early hours of the morning proved they had been wrong.

"Holy shit!" Lena heard Vasha yell as the red light filled the barracks, accompanying the blaring alarm.

The brunette had just scrambled out of bed when the far wall of the barracks suddenly exploded, sending debris flying through the barracks. The force was strong enough to knock the airman basics down, and Lena hit the floor hard.

"Lena!" she heard Vasha yell.

"I'm okay!" Lena quickly got to her feet; there was no time to change into her jumpsuit.

"Everyone head towards the hangars!" Vasha said, her voice stern and commanding. "Those of you who can fly, get in your jet. Whoever this is, we're fighting back!"

The airman basics quickly ran for the exit, and Lena followed suit. The building shook with another missile strike, and the brunette stumbled.

The group soon reached the hangar, and Lena ran for her jet, hopping inside the cockpit before putting her helmet and mask on, pulling her goggles down.

" _Sarabi, online_ ," she heard Vasha say over the comm. " _Where's my team?"_

"Tracer here," Lena replied as she brought her jet to life. "Let's take these tossers down."

Two other airman basics checked in as well before they all took to the sky, soon locating their attackers.

" _Talon bastards… I should have guessed,_ " Vasha growled over the comm. " _All right, we're going to split up and take them out. Red Hawk, Trickfoot, you two take the ones attacking the east side of the complex_."

" _Copy that."_

" _Tracer, you and I will take down the ones attacking the west end. You take the lead pursuit and I'll stay on your six in case any of them try to give us the runaround_ ," Vasha said.

"You got it." Lena urged her jet forward, beginning to chase down the first of the Talon jets. She glanced down at her radar screen before she said, "I'm locked onto the first one."

" _Take them out."_

Lena fired the first missile, watching as it streaked after the Talon jet, hitting it dead on and causing it the spiral into the water. "One down."

Another Talon jet flew by, guns firing, and Lena let out a grunt as her jet shook from the bullets.

" _You all right_?" she heard Vasha ask.

"I'm fine; they didn't hit anything important." Lena turned her jet sharply before she started pursuing the second Talon jet. "Why is Talon here?"

" _My guess is they finally became brave enough to launch an attack on an Overwatch Watchpoint. They must have figured we were the easiest targets, considering that we're in the middle of the pilot program_."

"But how would they have known that? And why did they wait so long? If they had ambushed us during the first week, we'd be practically defenseless."

" _Maybe one of our fellow airman basics is actually working for Talon_." Vasha's tone was icy, and Lena didn't want to believe that it could be someone in the program.

"I can't believe that; why would someone do that?"

" _Not everyone possesses your strong moral compass, Tracer._ "

The thought still didn't sit well with the brunette, and she did her best to shake it from her mind. "I still can't believe that—"

" _I know you don't want to, but we can talk about this later. For now, let's focus on taking these jets down_."

"You got it."

The Talon jet suddenly came flying by again, launching a missile at Lena. The brunette quickly pulled an evasive maneuver, flipping upside-down for a few moments before she straightened out again.

" _I got them_ ," Vasha said, firing her guns and striking the Talon jet several time. _"Help me finish this Tracer."_

"On it!" Lena began firing her own guns as well, watching as flames came from the jet before it fell to the ground and exploded in a fireball. "Yeah!"

" _Red Hawk, Trickfoot, how's it looking on your end?_ " Vasha asked over the comm.

" _We just took down the two jets; we took a few hard hits, and part of the communication tower was destroyed, but Talon didn't win this one_."

"Another victory for Overwatch!" Lena cheered.

" _Good work team; let's regroup in the hangar,"_ Vasha said.

Lena turned her jet around, and waited until the others had landed their jets in the hangar before she landed her own, killing the engine.

"We showed those wankers who's boss!" Lena announced triumphantly as she hopped out of her jet, taking her helmet off.

Vasha didn't seem as excited as she exited her own jet, removing her helmet as well. "Something still doesn't feel right…"

"What do you mean? We shot down all their jets."

"Exactly; we shot down all their jets. We have barely a year of experience, yet we managed to best Talon, a ruthless organization that Overwatch has been fighting with for years? It just seems too easy."

"Why don't you have confidence in our abilities?"

Vasha gave her a look. "I do, it's just—"

At first, Lena wasn't entirely sure what had happened. Before Vasha could finish, there was a bright flash of light, followed by a deafening boom. The force was strong enough to knock Lena off her feet and throw her backwards, causing her to lose consciousness upon hitting the floor.

The brunette wasn't sure how long she was out, but upon coming to, she found that part of the hangar had collapsed. Lena pushed herself up, letting out a gasp of pain as her old wrist injury flared up again. Otherwise, she appeared to be relatively unharmed (aside from a few scrapes and bruises); Lena later realized that it was because she had been the farthest from the detonated device.

Some of the other airman basics were also appearing to be coming to, and as Lena scanned the area, her heart sank as she failed to locate Vasha.

"Vasha!" Lena managed to get to her feet, still feeling a little disoriented. "Vasha, can you hear me?"

A familiar voice uttering a string of curses caught Lena's attention, and the brunette made her way to a large pile of debris, soon discovering Vasha, whose lower body was pinned beneath the pile.

"I knew that was too easy," Vasha growled. "Damn bastards planted a bomb before they attacked us…"

"Can you move?" Lena asked, kneeling beside her.

"Only my upper body… I can't feel my legs… fuck, Lena, I can't feel anything below my waist…"

The brunette's blood ran cold at that. If Vasha wasn't even feeling pain, then she was either going into shock, or worse. "I need some help over here!" Lena yelled before she got to her feet and began moving aside some of the smaller pieces of debris. "Don't worry, I'll get you out, just stay with me."

"Lena… my sister—"

"Whatever you're about to say, don't; we're going to get you out, and you're going to see your sister again."

"Lena—"

"No, you're not doing this Vasha, I won't let you. We're getting you out."

"… Now who's being the bossy one?"

* * *

It was the sunlight streaming through the window and falling across her face that woke Lena, and the brunette let out a groan, wearily opening her eyes. Her muscles were stiff and ached as the events from last night caught up with her. Lena sat up in the chair she'd fallen asleep in, stretching with a yawn. Vasha was still asleep in the infirmary bed in front of her; after an hour they'd finally managed to free her from the debris.

Vasha suddenly stirred, and Lena paused in her stretching, watching as her companion's eyes opened and wandered a bit before focusing on her. "Lena…"

"Hey," the brunette said, giving her smile and taking her hand gently. "How are you feeling?"

Vasha closed her eyes, looking as though she was trying to shift, but she let out a wince instead. "I've been better…" Vasha opened her eyes, looking at Lena again. "Did you sleep here all night?"

"I didn't want to leave you alone."

"Ugh, that's disgustingly romantic; haven't I suffered enough?"

Lena gave her a look. "I'm glad to see this hasn't affected your sense of humor."

"It takes more than an explosion to do me in." Vasha let out a sigh, looking down at her legs, which were covered with a white blanket. "Though I guess my days as a pilot are over."

"Don't say that—"

"Lena, I can't feel anything below my waist—"

"You can relearn—"

"Graduation is tomorrow, and I've already been away from home long enough. Once I go back to Numbani… that's it."

Lena could see the resignation in Vasha's expression, and it pained her. "You can't just give up."

"Lena, I usually appreciate your optimism, but right now it's not helping. You were lucky; you get to walk away from this with barely a scratch. You'll graduate tomorrow and then go back to Overwatch HQ as a full-fledged pilot—"

"You're graduating too, Vasha."

Vasha went silent at that.

"Why are you suddenly quiet?"

"I'm leaving tonight Lena."

The brunette's eyes widened at that. "Tonight? But the ceremony is tomorrow—"

"I'm not going."

"Vasha!"

"Lena, if I attend the ceremony, then I'll have to be in a wheelchair, and I can't bring myself to wheel across that stage. Everyone will be looking at me and feeling sorry… I don't want to go through that."

Lena let out a sigh. "Fine, I won't walk tomorrow then either."

Vasha's brow furrowed. "… Literally, or…?"

"I mean, if you don't attend graduation tomorrow, then I won't either."

"Lena, you can't miss graduation just because of me—"

"Watch me."

Vasha shook her head. "So this is how it's going to be then. You're going to make me feel guilty?"

"Vasha, you and I have stuck together since the first day of this program, and I don't know if I would have made it on my own."

"Well, you wouldn't have made it past the pull-ups, that's for sure."

Lena gave her a look. "I don't want to be up on that stage without you. We did this together, and we fought off Talon together. I want to finish this with you."

Vasha paused a long moment before she began the process of moving to one side of the bed. "Once again, my upper body strength has proven itself useful," she muttered. She reached down and manually moved her legs over before she patted the bed next to her. "Join me."

Lena's brow furrowed slightly. "But I thought it was against the rules to publicly show affection."

"Well, we graduate tomorrow, and we're both Honor Graduates, so I'd say we can do this."

Lena paused a moment before she climbed into the bed beside Vasha, feeling a bit unsure of how she was supposed to act.

"You want to move a little closer?" Vasha asked a bit teasingly before she put an arm around the brunette, pulling her closer.

Lena flushed at that, but she let her head rest against Vasha, feeling Vasha's head coming to rest on top of her own. The brunette's heart began to race, and she looked around the room, wondering she should say anything.

"You smell nice," Lena said after a few moments.

Vasha laughed, which was followed by a wince. "Ugh, my ribs… the parts of my body I can feel hurt like hell…"

The brunette listened to Vasha's steady heartbeat a few moments longer before she decided to ask the question that had been on her mind for some time now. "Vasha… when you go back to Numbani… what's going to happen to us?"

Vasha let out a sigh before she replied, "Well, you have that fancy tablet, right? We'll be able to keep in touch."

"So… you want to keep… doing this?" Lena looked up Vasha. "You and me…?"

"You can say dating, Lena. We're dating."

"But we'll be so far apart… we'll be in separate countries, and who knows where I'll be sent."

"Would you rather split up?"

"N-no! I don't want that, I'm just... this is very new for me, and now we're going to be so far apart… I'm going to miss you."

Vasha pressed a kiss to the top of Lena's head, holding her a bit closer. "Me too, Lena. I am pretty great."

"And so humble too."


	15. Chapter 15

"All right Ana, what are you planning?"

Ana let out a noise that sounded something along the lines of "pffttshh". "You always think I am planning something, Jack. If I was as active as you seem to think I am, I would never have any free time—"

"You're packing a travel bag," Jack said flatly, crossing his arms.

"… Is that a crime?"

"Ana, you just returned from a mission, you're supposed to be debriefing—"

"I moved into position, I took out the enemy, the mission was a success. Anything else?"

Jack was obviously not pleased with that answer. "Where are you going?"

"If you insist on knowing my business, I'm headed to Watchpoint Gibraltar; I'll only be gone for a few days."

Jack's brow furrowed. "Did they call for agents? I didn't see any messages."

Ana gave the commander a look. "You really don't know why I would be going to Watchpoint Gibraltar? You can't think of any reason?"

Jack paused a few moments as he wracked his brain for an answer; the way Ana was asking the question meant she thought the answer was obvious.

When it became apparent that Jack was not going to be able to come up with the answer, Ana let out a sigh and decided to give him more of a hint. "Jack, the graduation ceremony for the pilot program is tomorrow."

"And? We never attend those."

Ana shook her head; obviously he needed a less subtle and more of a slap-you-in-the-face hint. "Do you happen to recall who we sent there two years ago?"

Realization crossed Jack's face. "… Wait, Lena? No, it can't have been two years already, we just sent her a few weeks ago—"

"You honestly haven't noticed how quiet it's been here?"

"I was enjoying such."

Ana rolled her eyes before she turned back to her packing. "Well your lack of sense of time aside, Lena is graduating tomorrow and I will be attending the ceremony. You are welcome to join me if you wish."

"I think I'll pass."

"What a surprise." Ana closed her bag before she picked it up, turning back towards the door.

"I really think you should reconsider—"

"Jack, must we go over this again? We are the only family Lena has; it is important for us to support her in whatever way we can."

Jack let out a sigh and crossed his arms, but Ana was obviously set on this path, so he merely said, "Try not to be gone too long."

"Going to miss me, are you?" Ana asked with a slightly teasing smile.

Jack responded with a flat look, and Ana laughed as she passed by, patting him on the shoulder.

"Have fun, Jack," she said as she started down the hallway; the transport was set to arrive in about twenty minutes.

"Ana, can I help you with your bag?" Reinhardt asked, approaching the captain.

"No, thank you, I'm all right," Ana replied.

"Where are you off to? Visiting Fareeha?"

Ana pressed her lips together tightly at the mention of her older daughter. She hadn't heard from Fareeha since she'd enlisted, and if her daughter didn't want to speak, then she could lie in the bed she'd made.

Reinhardt seemed to realize that he'd made a mistake upon seeing Ana's expression, and he quickly backpedaled and said, "Or perhaps you're visiting Lena?"

"Yes, Lena graduates from the pilot program tomorrow, and I am off to Watchpoint Gibraltar to watch the ceremony."

"I'm sure she will be delighted to see you, though are you attending all by yourself?"

Ana knew what that meant, and she smiled slightly. "You have ten minutes to pack."

"I will pack like the wind!"

* * *

"I'm so nervous."

"You want to borrow my chair?"

Lena gave her companion a look. "What if I trip and fall down?"

"Lena, you can fly a multi-million dollar precision piece of machinery. I think you can salute on the stage, shake the commander's hand, and accept your medal of valor."

"Have you met me before? I fell going up the stairs." A pause. "Up the stairs, Vasha."

"Oh yeah, I remember that." Vasha grinned before she laughed, wincing at the pain in her ribs. "Lena, don't make me laugh, it hurts."

The brunette let out a sigh, tugging at the collar of her dress blues.

"Leave your collar alone, it's fine," Vasha said, reaching up and moving her hand away.

"I don't like it; it's too tight and stuffy."

"Hey, it took me twenty minutes to get my dress blues on, and you don't hear me complaining."

Lena still looked uncomfortable, and Vasha let out a sigh before she took the brunette's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"You're going to be fine, I promise. Just try not to think too much about it."

Lena nodded, though Vasha could tell she was still distracted, so she gave the brunette's hand a hard pinch.

"Ow!" Lena yanked her hand away, rubbing the spot. "Bloody hell, what was that for?!"

"Are you thinking about being nervous now?"

"No!"

"You're welcome."

* * *

The commander was talking, Lena knew that much. He was addressing the assembled crowd, giving some sort of speech. The brunette wasn't really able to distinguish any words; her blood was pounding in her ears, and she was doing her best to hold her salute and keep from fidgeting. The other airman basics were up on the stage with her, all holding their salutes, and Lena only realized her name had been called when the commander stopped in front of her. She broke her salute only to shake his hand, and he fastened the medal to the front of her dress blues.

"Good work, Oxton."

Lena nodded; it hadn't been much, but somehow, those few words made it all sink in. This was really happening; she was really an Overwatch pilot now. Not just some girl Ana had taken in off the streets, but an official, contributing member of Overwatch. Lena felt as though she were going to explode, and it took every ounce of willpower she had to remain still through the rest of the ceremony.

* * *

"Lena, we are so proud of you!" Reinhardt lifted the brunette off the floor, pulling her into an embrace. "Did you see us in the audience?"

"I saw you," Lena replied with a laugh. "I didn't know you were coming, why didn't you tell me?"

"It was very last minute," Ana said as she approached. "And we wanted to surprise you."

Reinhardt set the brunette down before he said, "Now, tell us all about this encounter with Talon. They actually attacked Watchpoint Gibraltar?"

Lena reached up to fix her cap as she replied, "It was totally unexpected! We were all sleeping when they attacked, and one of the missile strikes broke through the barrack wall and threw me out of bed. Luckily Vasha was okay and she lead everyone to the hangars, that's why she was chosen as squadron leader, she really has a knack for leadership—"

"You called me bossy before," Vasha said, wheeling up to the brunette.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Lena said, turning to her companion. "And I already apologized, I thought we had moved on."

"Yes, well, I forgive, but I never forget," Vasha said.

"Lena."

Lena held back her reply at Ana's voice, and she instead said, "Vasha, this is Captain Amari and Reinhardt Wilhelm, two of Overwatch's finest."

"Lena, you flatter us," Reinhardt said before he offered a hand to Vasha. "Pleasure to meet you!"

Vasha looked a bit apprehensive, but shook his hand.

"So how long have you two been together?" Ana asked as she shook Vasha's hand.

Vasha faltered slightly, obviously caught off guard. "I… a few months."

"I told you it's impossible to keep secrets from her," Lena whispered to Vasha.

"It was a pleasure to meet both of you, but my transport is arriving soon and I need to finish getting ready," Vasha said, turning her chair and beginning to wheel away.

Lena watched her go, and Ana could see the torn expression on her face.

"Go see her off; we will be waiting for you," Ana said.

The brunette nodded before she quickly went after Vasha, soon catching up to her. "Vasha, wait."

"I don't have time to wait, Lena."

"Just give me a few seconds," the brunette said, moving in front of her chair once they were outside and alone.

Vasha paused, looking up at her. "Okay, a few seconds, then I really do have to go."

Lena opened her mouth, and then closed it, trying to decide on the right words. Everything seemed to be coming to an end so quickly, and she just wanted more time with Vasha. "I… I really like you Vasha."

Vasha arched an eyebrow. "That's what you stopped me for? I already know that, Lena."

"N-no, listen… saying goodbye has always been hard for me. I already had to say goodbye to Fareeha, and now you… what I'm trying to say is…" Lena couldn't bring herself to say it out loud; admitting her abandonment issues to Vasha was too hard, and she didn't want her companion to think less of her.

"We're going to be okay," Vasha said, taking the brunette's hand. "Both of us, together or apart; we'll be okay." Vasha offered her a smile before she pulled her into an embrace. "This is only goodbye for now, Lena."

* * *

"Honor Graduate, top of your class, and you took out several Talon jets." Ana looked over at Lena, who was sitting on the rock beside her. "You seem to have taken quite well to being a pilot."

Lena nodded as she said, "I wanted to make everyone at Overwatch HQ proud; I didn't want you all to feel like you'd sent me here for nothing."

Ana nodded with a "hmming" noise before she said, "I had suspected such, which is why I must ask you this: do you actually enjoy being a pilot, or did you just do all this for us?"

Lena looked over at the captain. "I love being a pilot. The feeling of flying… there's nothing else like it."

"And this is truly what you want?"

"Yes Captain."

Ana nodded again. "Very well ḥabībti."

* * *

"Sir, we have a fighter jet requesting clearance to land."

Jack's brow furrowed. "We don't have any pilots out right now." He took the headset from the agent, putting it on. "This is Commander Morrison; what is your designation?"

"This is Tracer, requesting permission to land Commander."

"Repeat call sign?"

"Tracer, sir."

That accent; it had been two years, but he knew it. "Lena?"

"Hiya!"

Jack rolled his eyes before he said, "You have clearance to land."

"Acknowledged. I'm coming in for a landing."

Jack took off the headset before he headed outside to the landing strip. He watched as the fighter jet came in smoothly onto the runway before squealing to a stop. The cockpit opened, and Lena hopped out, taking off her helmet.

"Commander Morrison, sir," Lena said as she approached, giving him a salute and standing at attention.

"At ease, Lena." Jack looked her up and down before he said, "Weren't you this tall when you left?"

"I've grown four inches sir."

"You measured?"

"Well, they measured me; you have to be five feet four inches to be a pilot, and I almost wasn't tall enough, but I managed to make it."

"I see." A pause. "Well… welcome back."

"Welcome back? That's really the nicest greeting you can muster, Jack?" Ana asked, climbing out of the jet as well.

"Ana? You allowed her to fly you back here?"

"Jack, she just graduated from the pilot program, top of her class, I might add. She can fly a jet safely," Ana replied with a roll of her eyes. "Lena, why don't you head inside? I'm sure everyone will be happy to see you. I need to talk with Jack anyway."

Lena nodded before she headed inside the HQ, and Ana turned her attention to Jack.

"We need to talk about Talon."

* * *

"Dr. Ziegler, are you here?" Lena asked, entering the doctor's office.

"Lena?" The blonde doctor appeared from the supply closet, smiling upon seeing the brunette. "I had heard Ana left to attend your graduation." She approached Lena, giving her a hug. "Now be honest with me: how many times did you have to visit the infirmary while you were away?"

"Very funny, Dr. Ziegler. I'll have you know that I stayed relatively safe during my time away."

Angela pulled away from their hug, noticing the healing cut on Lena's forehead. "And what is that?"

Lena put a hand to the spot, memories of the explosion coming back to her. "It's nothing, it was just from the bomb Talon planted in the hangar, I'm fine—"

"A bomb?" Angela looked troubled at that. "Talon attacked the Watchpoint?"

"Yeah, a few days ago, but we managed to destroy their jets." Lena chose to leave it at that as the familiar guilt began to rise up again. She had escaped with little more than scrapes and bruises, and Vasha had been paralyzed.

"Well, sounds like you've had an exciting two years," Angela said. "Why don't you tell me all about it while helping me out here?"

"I just got back and you're already roping me into helping you?"

"Objections?"

"No, I just thought I'd point it out."

"Excuse, but I believe I may be lost. I am looking for one Commander Jack Morrison."

Lena turned at the heavy Russian accent, finding that it was coming from a mountain of a woman with pink hair that was even shorter than her own. Her voice left her, and she found herself grateful that Angela was there.

"Oh, you must be with the Russian Defense Force," Angela said, moving forward to shake the woman's hand.

"Aleksandra Zaryanova."

"Jack is most likely in the command room, which is just down the hall. It's the large glass room by the staircase; would you like me to show you?" Angela asked.

"No, but thank you for the directions." Zarya left the room, and Angela turned back to face Lena, who had finally found her voice.

"She's huge! Did you see her muscles? Her muscles have muscles!" the brunette said excitedly.

"Lena, lower your voice please," Angela said.

"How many of me do you think she can lift? I bet it's at least five—"

"I know you're excited, but I have to ask you to please refrain from bothering Aleksandra while she is here."

Lena made a face. "I was not going to bother her, I just want to ask a few questions—"

"And how many is a few?"

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you think I talk too much."


	16. Chapter 16

"My people are dying, Commander. You have promised air support, yet we have received none."

"I have been led to believe that Volskaya Industries is providing defense—"

"We have ground superiority, but the omnic numbers are overwhelming. We need air support, and Katya wants to know if Slipstream is ready."

Jack let out a sigh, doing his best to keep his composure. Volskaya Industries had had a hand in developing Slipstream, though he was getting a bit frustrated with their constant "checking in" as they called it. "It is still in development."

Zarya crossed her arms. "I was told that project should have been finished months ago—"

"We've had some setbacks."

"A common excuse."

Jack scowled slightly at that. "This project cannot be rushed. We haven't even found a qualified pilot."

"All I am hearing are excuses; Katya has invested in this project, and she just wants to ensure that her trust has not been misplaced."

"Well, you can tell Katya the same thing I have told her before: Slipstream cannot be rushed. Even once we finish development, we still need to test it, and that will take time. When it is ready and fully functional, she will be the first to know."

Zarya didn't look convinced, and after a pause, she said, "Perhaps I will stay a bit longer, just to make sure everything is as you say."

Jack set his jaw before he managed to get out, "Make yourself at home."

* * *

Lena watched as Zarya emerged from the command room, making her way down the stairs. Angela had told her not to bother the Russian, but Lena couldn't help it; Zarya intrigued her. Some instinct inside of her told her that Zarya was… well, like her. She didn't know where this instinct came from or why it was honing in on Zarya specifically, but she couldn't seem to ignore it.

Besides, it wasn't really bothering her if she was just curious, right?

Zarya paused upon sensing someone behind her, and turned to see that it was Lena. "Greetings."

Lena didn't reply, instead grinning up at the Russian.

"Um… can I help you?"

"How many of me can you lift?" Lena asked, finally finding her voice.

Zarya arched an eyebrow before she picked Lena up, lifting her a few times over her head (something Lena enjoyed far more than she would admit). She set Lena back down before she said, "About ten."

"Ten of me?! That's like… a thousand pounds!"

"Da."

"Wow, that's… that's a lot." A pause before Lena added, "Can I feel one of your muscles?"

Zarya let out a short laugh, but said, "Sure." She flexed one arm, and Lena reached up to feel her bicep, which was rock solid.

"You wouldn't have had any trouble in the pilot program," Lena said, looking up at the Russian. "I had to work for months just to build enough muscle to do ten pull-ups."

"Nothing comes easy without hard work, _маленький._ "

"I suppose that's true." Lena paused before she asked, "How long you going to be here?"

"As long as your Commander remains stubborn," Zarya replied, crossing her arms.

"Oh… that could be a while then."

"Well, I am stubborn as he is. Now, tell me, you have weight room, yes?"

Lena brightened at that. "Oh sure! If I take you there, can I work out with you?"

"As long as you don't mind being a weight yourself."

* * *

"Her muscles are huge Vasha! I mean, her bicep is as big as my head!"

"Is that including your hair?"

Lena made a face. "Ha ha, you're very funny. Maybe I should just hang up right now."

"Go ahead."

"… Why do you do that? How do you always find ways to shoot me down like that?"

Vasha laughed before she said, "Because I know you, Lena."

Lena stuck her tongue out, which elicited another laugh. "Hey, Vasha, let me ask you something: what does it mean when you're with someone that you've never met before, but something inside of you is telling you that they're… you know… like you?"

"You mean gay?"

"Yeah."

"Did that happen to you today?"

"When I was around Zarya, yeah, but I don't know why I was feeling that way."

Vasha was giving her that incredulous look. "Oh my god, you are too innocent for this world…"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Look, let me be the first to congratulate you on finally discovering your gaydar."

"… My what?"

"Lena, you and I are gay, which means we possess an inherent ability to locate other gay people."

"So, wait… because I'm gay… I can tell that Zarya is…?"

"Yes."

"But what if this… gaydar or whatever is wrong? What if she isn't?"

"I would bet good money that she is." Vasha let out a wince before she added, "I hate to cut our conversation short, but my spine is killing me and I need to take my medicine. I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

"Sure."

"Good night Lena."

"Night."

The screen went dark, and Lena let out a sigh, rolling over and sitting up.

"I see you made a friend during the pilot program."

Lena looked over at the voice, seeing Angela standing in the doorway. The brunette colored lightly before she said, "Vasha is just… she and I are… you know."

"Together?"

"Yeah, that."

"It's admirable, trying to make a long distance relationship work." Angela crossed her arms, looking away. "Though I suppose even when you're close in distance, you can still be distant…"

Lena stood and approached the doctor, placing a hand on her arm gently. "You know she won't make the first move. She's too proud, but she misses you."

Angela shook her head as she said, "No, Fareeha made her decision, and I am perfectly fine with it."

"But—"

"Don't worry about me, Lena." Angela offered her a smile before she ruffled the brunette's hair a bit. "I'm just happy to have you back here."

* * *

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Lena stood in front of Commander Morrison, holding her salute. She had been working out with Zarya again when she'd been told that the Commander needed to see her right away, which was only slightly nerve-wracking.

Jack looked up at the brunette's voice. "That was fast."

"I don't know if you've heard sir, but I'm very quick."

Jack wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that (only because she sounded so matter-of-fact), so he decided to move on and said, "I know this is very short notice, and you've just come back from Watchpoint Gibraltar, but we're short on pilots. I am going to send you in a fighter jet to Russia to aid the Russian Defense Force."

Well, that was unexpected. "For how long, sir?"

"However long they need you. This is why you were sent to the program, Lena. You said you wanted to be a pilot; this is your first mission." Jack turned away, beginning to look at another file. "You'll report to Zarya, and she'll tell you where you're most needed—"

"With all due respect, Sir, I want to fly Slipstream."

Jack whipped around, and Lena held her ground under his harsh look. "Where did you hear that name?"

The brunette faltered; would Captain Amari get in trouble if Jack knew she had been the one to tell Lena about the secret project? "I… uh…"

"Who told you about Slipstream?"

"… I'd rather not say, sir."

Jack's gaze narrowed. "Ana. Look, I don't know what she told you or why, but Slipstream is none of your concern, and you would do well to forget about it."

"Sir, why do you think I wanted to become a pilot?"

"Excuse me?"

Lena winced internally. "I-I didn't mean any disrespect sir, but I've known about Slipstream for two years. I want to fly it."

"No."

"You didn't even give me a chance—"

"Listen to me: you are not flying Slipstream. You are too young—"

"My age doesn't affect my piloting ability. I received the highest marks during the program, and I've taken on Talon twice. You won't find a pilot who's better than I am."

"Lena—"

"Please, just give me a chance to prove it to you."

Jack let out a sigh, but Lena was as stubborn and persistent as Ana (who would be hearing from him, that was for sure), and he knew that she wouldn't let this go, not without a fight anyway. "I will discuss this with the others, but I am making no promises. Slipstream is a very important project, you understand?"

"Yes sir. Thank you sir."

* * *

"Ana, I have put up with a lot from you, but this is where I draw the line."

"Don't you take that tone with me, Jack. I am not some cadet you can order around."

"You told a civilian about a classified project! You gave her this false hope, and now, she is refusing to do as she's told!"

"We need a pilot for Slipstream, and Lena is one of the best to come out of Watchpoint Gibraltar in years. Yes, I told her about it, but only to give her some incentive."

Jack shook his head, and he was about to reply when his gaze fell on Gabriel, who was watching the argument with more than a slight modicum of amusement. "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

"I'm fine right here," Gabriel replied.

"Jack, listen to me: the pressure to finish Slipstream is mounting, I know—"

"It is finished," Jack admitted with a sigh.

Ana's brow furrowed. "Then why are you fighting so hard?"

"Because it has never been tested, and if anything happened to Lena, I—" Jack suddenly stopped, pausing a moment to regain his composure. "This is too much of a burden to put on her."

Ana's expression softened slightly, and she said, "Jack, don't you think I'm worried about Lena too? If anything happened to her, it would kill me, but we can't keep her cooped up forever. This is what she wants, and I honestly believe Lena is one of our best options."

Jack sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I hope none of us live to regret this."

* * *

Lena paused after zipping up her pilot suit, looking at herself in the mirror. In less than an hour, she'd be climbing into a jet that was the first of its kind… she would be the first time-traveling pilot.

"No pressure," she muttered before she picked up the aviators from the nearby dresser, slipping them onto her face. "Look out world, here comes T. Racer!"

"Well, glad to see you're not nervous."

Lena let out a small yelp as she whipped around, seeing Ana standing behind her. "I wouldn't say that exactly…" Lena admitted, taking off her aviators.

"Honestly I would be concerned if you were totally relaxed." Ana approached the brunette, placing her hands on her shoulders. "You're ready for this."

Lena nodded.

"You don't look convinced."

"I just… I don't want to disappoint anyone."

"Lena, this is only a test flight. Just don't crash, and everything will be fine." Ana straightened up before she removed a necklace she'd been wearing, slipping it over the brunette's head. "There. Now you will be safe."

Lena looked at the necklace, which was shaped like an ankh. "Thank you."

Ana smiled before she pressed a kiss to Lena's forehead. "Are you ready?"

"Let's do this."

* * *

"It's green across the board, sir. We are ready for take-off."

From his position inside the command tower, Jack nodded. "All right. You remember your flight pattern?"

"Yes sir. Fly until I achieve optimum speed, and then engage the teleportation matrix."

"Good. We're going to begin countdown."

Lena nodded, taking a deep breath. She could hear the countdown beginning, and she readjusted her grip on the controls.

 _Show them what you can do._

"3, 2, 1—"

Lena brought the jet the life, and it started down the runway much quicker than any jet she had handled before. The brunette gripped the controls before she lifted the jet into the air, beginning her ascent.

"How are we looking Lena?"

"So far so good sir. Everything is stable; I'm going to level out." The brunette did so, looking out across the Swiss Alps. "Even if this test goes wrong, you can't deny that view."

"Focus Lena."

"Of course sir, %100." Lena glanced down at the control panel before she added, "I've reached optimum speed; I'm going to start charging the teleportation matrix." The brunette flipped up the lid before grasping the blue handle inside, turning it to the right and pulling it out.

"The matrix is charging," Lena said, watching the percentage gauge. "Everything is still stable; I think this is going to be a success."

"Let's wait until you've landed before we say that," Jack said.

"Now remember Lena, once the matrix is fully charged and in use, you should only be gone for about five seconds before it brings you back to our timeline," Ana said. "But in case it takes longer, do you remember backup protocol?"

"Yes Captain; restart the teleportation matrix and engage it a second time."

"Very good." Lena looked back at the percentage gauge, which had just reached %90. "The matrix is almost ready; I'll be able to engage it in a few moments."

From where he was watching the screen, Winston's brow furrowed, and he leaned in a bit closer, trying to determine what he was looking at. "Commander Morrison, we may have a problem."

That was something Jack did not want to hear. "What's wrong?" he asked, approaching Winston.

"The teleportation matrix appears to be destabilizing… it's still within the acceptable limit, but there's no guarantee it'll stay there."

Ana covered the microphone on her communicator as she approached the two. "What's going on?"

"The teleportation matrix is beginning to destabilize—"

"Is Lena in danger?" Ana asked.

"It's still within the acceptable limit—"

"I'm telling her to abort."

"The matrix is fully charged; I'm going to engage it."

"Lena wait—"

The brunette pushed the lever down, and a blue light began to envelope the jet, striking it repeatedly and reminding Lena of lightning.

"Lena, you need to eject!" Ana said, watching Winston's screen.

"What—why?"

"The matrix is destabilizing—"

Lena pressed a hand to her ear, trying to make out what Ana was saying through the static. "Captain, you're breaking up, I can't—"

There was a bright flash of light, and the communication line went dead.

"Lena? Lena, can you hear me?" Ana looked over at Jack. "Can you hear anything?"

"No, we lost communication." Jack looked over at Winston. "Is she still on the radar?"

Winston shook his head. "No; there's nothing."

"Maybe it's just taking a little longer for her to return," Ana said, though she didn't sound entirely confident.

The seconds ticked by agonizingly slow, and after a minute or so, Winston shook his head.

"Still nothing. She's… gone."

"No, she can't be gone, an entire jet and its pilot do not just disappear," Ana said, pressing a hand to her communicator. "Lena can you hear me? Lena!"

"Ana, it's no use. She's gone."


	17. Chapter 17

Lena came to with a gasp, putting a hand to her head. She looked around, realizing she was no longer inside the Slipstream jet, but rather inside a grand-looking house. "Oh no, did I crash into someone's house? I'm going to be in so much trouble…" The brunette got to her feet, looking around the room. She didn't see any obvious signs of damage, which brought a whole slew of questions. If she hadn't crashed into the house, then where was the Slipstream jet? Had she crashed elsewhere and been brought here?

Lena put her hands to her chest, feeling for damage, though upon looking down, she discovered that her hands had become transparent. "What…?" Lena soon realized that the rest of her body looked the same, which was unsettling, to say the least.

A bell suddenly rang, and Lena turned to see a man and a woman sitting in comfortable looking chairs near a fireplace. "Excuse me, hi, my name is Lena Oxton, I'm with Overwatch. Can you perhaps tell me where I am—"

"There you are; where is our tea?" the woman asked.

Lena's brow furrowed, and she looked around, though she didn't see anybody else. "What? No, I think you're confusing me with someone else—"

The scene suddenly went blurry before changing to a darkened, snow-covered landscape. Lena could hear the wind howling, though she didn't feel cold at all. In the distance she could see familiar lights, and she realized it was Overwatch HQ.

"That was weird…" she said before she started making her way towards it. Maybe Winston would have some answers once she got back—

The lights and snow suddenly disappeared, and Lena found herself on a war torn road. Before she could really look around, her gaze fell on a towering Omnic approaching, and it seemed to have its sights set on her. Lena turned on her heel and began to run, hearing it give chase. She heard the guns begin to warm up, and the brunette dove for cover just as they fired—

"Are those biscuits finished yet?"

Lena lowered her arms from her head and looked up, realizing she was back in the stately home, namely in the kitchen. She straightened up shakily, looking back down at her transparent hands. "What is happening to me?"

* * *

Angela yawned for what seemed like the umpteenth time, and she rubbed her eyes. The figures in front of her were starting to become blurry, and she found herself reading the same line over and over.

"I suppose it's time to call it a night," she sighed before she closed her notebook and set it aside. The doctor turned off the light at her desk before she stood and headed for the exit.

"Dr. Ziegler!"

Angela paused at the familiar voice and turned around, her gaze falling on Lena, though something didn't seem quite right. The brunette seemed to be almost… well, glitching seemed to be the appropriate word, as troubling as that was. "Lena?"

"I don't know what's happening to me, please help—" Lena suddenly disappeared, and Angela rushed to where she had been standing.

"Lena! Lena, where are you?"

* * *

"You said she appeared transparent?"

"Yes, transparent and… I don't know, something just wasn't right. She called out for me, but then she disappeared after a few seconds," Angela replied. The incident still had her shaken up, and it had taken much convincing on her part to get the others to believe that it had actually happened, and wasn't a product of her sleep-deprived mind.

"Hmm." Winston adjusted his glasses, pulling up the schematics for the Slipstream jet. "It's possible that Lena is suffering from a type of chronal disassociation."

Angela's brow furrowed. She was familiar with the concept of disassociation, but not so much in this case. "What does that mean?"

"Basically she has no anchor to our present time and place, so she's… blinking between timelines."

"How do we anchor her?"

Winston shook his head. "I don't know… I mean, I could maybe build some type of chamber to contain her when she appears again, but I need time to develop a more permanent solution."

"Well, let's get started on that chamber then; maybe we can catch Lena the next time she appears."

* * *

Upon opening her eyes, Lena found that she was once again in Overwatch HQ, only this time she was in an odd sort of chamber. "What…?"

"Lena?"

The brunette turned at the voice, seeing Winston on the other side of the glass. "Winston!" She ran over to the glass, making to press a transparent hand up against it, but her hand merely phased through it.

"Lena, where have you been?" Winston asked. "We thought… when Slipstream disappeared…"

"I honestly don't know what happened… I keep finding myself in different places… I can't tell where exactly… it's been a weird couple of days."

"Lena… the Slipstream incident was six months ago."

Lena's expression changed at that. "I've been like this for six months?" The brunette suddenly disappeared, leaving Winston alone.

* * *

"When was the last time she was here?"

"Three days ago I think? It's in the log."

Gabriel glanced at the line of chalkboards, which were covered in a mess of writing that he couldn't quite decipher. "So… it's not consistent?"

"No, there's been no discernible pattern so far. The only thing that's constant is the fact that she always appears in that chamber. I built it using some of the same technology from Slipstream, which draws her molecules to it."

"I see."

"Winston? Are you there luv?"

Gabriel and Winston turned at the voice, and they both approached the chamber, seeing Lena inside.

"Hey kid, how you doing?" Gabriel asked.

"Not sure… I can't tell if I'm hungry or thirsty… and I just feel exhausted." Lena let out a sigh, causing her form to shudder slightly.

"Don't worry Lena; the chronal accelerator is almost finished, and once we get it on you, you should be anchored to our time again."

Lena smiled slightly. "Thanks Winston… I know you've been working night and day to get this finished."

"I don't mind; we are kindred spirits, after all."

* * *

"It's finished." Winston sat back with a sigh, taking off his glasses and rubbing his tired eyes.

"And this will keep her anchored to our time?" Angela asked.

"With any luck, yes." Winston approached the glass chamber and set the device on the floor before powering it up. The two waited for a few moments, and Lena soon came into view.

"Lena!"

The brunette turned, realizing that her hands were beginning to return to normal. "Winston… did you…?"

"The accelerator is finished, and it looks like it's working."

Lena paused a moment before she approached the glass, raising a hand up hopefully. When her fingers made contact with the cool glass, Lena let out a sigh of relief, a few tears running down her face.

"Lena, are you all right?" Angela asked, taking a step forward.

"I'm so much better than all right…" The brunette wiped the tears away; the nightmare was finally over. No more being thrown through different timelines, no more living as little more than a ghost. She was finally back, back in her own time and place, back to Lena Oxton, Overwatch pilot.

"Can she leave the chamber now?" Angela asked, looking at Winston. "This isn't a temporary fix, right?"

"As if I would g through all that work for something temporary," Winston replied. "Lena, as long as you stay in close proximity to it, it will keep you anchored, no matter where you go."

"So I have to carry it with me everywhere then?" Lena asked.

"Well, yes, but I have already solved that problem for you." Winston went over to the accelerator, picking it up and revealing the straps on it.

"I'm going to wear it?"

"I figured that was the best way."

Lena shrugged. "I suppose that makes sense."

Winston helped her do up the straps, securing the accelerator to her body. "How does it feel? Not too heavy?"

"No, it's lighter than I expected." Lena hugged Winston, adding, "Thanks luv; I don't know how much longer I could have stood being a ghost." Her stomach suddenly let out a rather audible growl, and Lena put a hand to it. "Haven't felt that in a while."

"Come on, let's go get you some food," Angela said. "I'd also like to take you to my office for a quick check-up, but we'll worry about that later."

Lena nodded, and she and Winston began to follow Angela from the lab, but the sound of a transport passing overhead caught their attention.

"The team must be back," Angela said. "Jack and Ana were rescuing some hostages—"

"Captain Amari is back?" A smile spread across Lena's face at that.

"Lena, you will have plenty of time to see her later. She needs to debrief, and we need to take care of you—"

"I can wait." Lena ran towards the entry room, reaching it just as Jack entered, looking worse for wear. "Commander Morrison, are you all right sir?"

Jack looked up, his brow furrowing upon seeing Lena. "Lena… you're alive?"

"Yes sir."

"How… nevermind, we can discuss that later."

"Jack, what happened?" Angela asked, having caught up by now.

"We have several wounded; we'll have them transported to the infirmary."

"Where's Captain Amari? Is she still inside with the others?" Lena asked.

Jack looked down at the brunette, shaking his head. "No…"

"Where is she then?"

Jack let out a sigh. "Lena, something happened—"

No, no she didn't like where this was headed. "Where is Captain Amari?"

"She's gone Lena."

"Gone like I was gone? You just mean missing right?"

"No Lena, she was killed."

No, no this couldn't be happening. Lena didn't want to believe it; it had to be some kind of cruel joke.

"Lena—"

"No… you're wrong, she isn't dead."

"She didn't rendezvous at the evacuation transport—"

"Then you left her there! You have to go back, go back and find her!"

"We barely got out ourselves—"

"How could you just leave her?!"

"Lena, listen to me!" Jack grabbed her by her arms, and she could see the tears in his eyes; she'd never seen him cry before. "Ana is dead; believe me, if I could have brought her back, I would have, but it was too dangerous. She was killed, Lena; she isn't coming back."

Lena shook her head, trying to choke back her tears.

 _No, no, I don't want this to be true. Go back, please go back, go back to when this wasn't true, go back—_

The accelerator on her chest suddenly lit up before the lights spun in a counter-clockwise pattern, and the brunette found herself moving backwards, appearing a few feet away from the others.

"Lena, what—"

Lena turned and ran before he could finish, and Jack let out a sigh.

"Has anyone informed Fareeha?" Angela asked, holding back her own tears.

"No… I couldn't get a hold of her."

"Maybe that's for the best; let Lena tell her. They will need their own time to grieve."

* * *

Lena wiped her eyes, trying to compose herself as she looked at the dark tablet in front of her. She knew she had to do this, no matter how hard it was or how much it hurt. Fareeha was the only person she could talk to right now. The brunette turned the tablet on before she opened the video chat program, selecting Fareeha's name.

RINGING

RINGING

RINGING

Lena let out a sigh. She should have expected that Fareeha would be busy, and there was no way to let her know that this was something very important—

"Lena?" Fareeha's face suddenly appeared on the screen, and she leaned in a bit closer. "Lena, is that you?"

"Yes—"

"I can't believe it, you're alive! Reinhardt told me about what happened with Slipstream, and I thought for sure you were… I'm so glad to see you."

"Fareeha—"

"What is that strapped to your chest?"

"Fareeha I don't want to talk about this right now."

Fareeha's brow furrowed. "What do you mean? I just found out that you're still alive, and you—" A pause. "What happened?"

Lena looked down, sniffling a few times.

"Lena, what happened?"

Lena opened her mouth, but saying it out loud would make it real and she was still praying that it wasn't. What came out instead was a small noise, and Lena shook her head.

"Lena, just say it—"

"Captain Amari… she…"

Fareeha's face drained of color at that. "Did something happen to my mother?"

Lena nodded, still not wanting to say it aloud.

"What happened to her, Lena? What happened to my mother?"

"She was killed on a mission! She's not coming back!" Lena broke down at that, her shoulders shaking with sobs she had tried so hard to hold back. "I-I didn't want it to be true, but it is... she's dead."

Fareeha had gone very quiet. "When did this happen?" she asked softly.

"I-I don't know… Commander Morrison just came back an hour or so ago…" Lena looked up at Fareeha, her face tear-stained. "I don't know what to do… Fareeha please come back… I can't do this."

"I'll be on the next transport out of Egypt."

* * *

"Ana Amari was one of the best agents I have ever worked with; we formed Overwatch with the vision of making the world a better place for all life. She never stopped fighting for that vision, and even now, I know her work is not finished. We will carry her with us as we strive to make that vision a reality."

Lena looked down at the plaque bearing Ana's name, and she pressed closer into Fareeha's side. Fareeha held Lena a bit tighter with the arm she had around her shoulders, reaching up to swipe at the tears forming in her eyes.

Overhead, dark clouds had formed, and thunder boomed. Rain began to fall onto the assembled agents, and they pulled out their umbrellas as they made their way back inside HQ. Soon only Fareeha and Lena were left outside, both looking down at the plaque.

"My mother used to say 'old soldiers die hard'… I think she always knew she'd go out this way," Fareeha said. "Sure, she would tell me about retiring in some cabana on the beach, but we both knew…"

Lena was silent, instead pressing closer to Fareeha.

"Come on; let's go inside."

* * *

"Sir?"

Jack paused from where he had been loosening his tie. "What is it, Lena?"

Lena took a deep breath before she said, "I'm quitting the pilot program sir."

"Lena, what happened to Slipstream wasn't your fault—"

"I want to become an active Overwatch agent."

Jack's brow furrowed. "What?"

"I believe that my accelerator has the potential of giving me abilities that could be an asset to Overwatch. My time as a pilot has come to an end, but I truly believe that there is still so much good I can do. Please sir, I'll start my training right away, but please don't force me to sit on the sidelines. I just can't do that any longer."

For a moment, Jack could see Ana in the woman standing in front of him, and after a pause, he said, "Training starts tomorrow at 0600. Don't be late."

"I won't let you down sir."

* * *

"Has she said anything?"

"No. She just sits there… hasn't said a word. No visitors, no one calling about her… she's little more than a ghost."

In her hospital bed, Ana sat silently, scrolling through the images on her projection disc. Fareeha as a baby… Fareeha holding a stray cat and begging to be allowed to keep it... She had tried so hard to keep her daughter from this life, and now… losing her eye was a small price to pay if it meant keeping Fareeha safe.

 _Maybe now she will finally understand why I did not want this life for her… every life that is taken means someone does not get to return to their family._

Ana reached the last image, her grip tightening. Fareeha holding Lena up with one arm as both girls flexed.

 _Forgive me, but this will be for the best._


	18. Chapter 18

"Keep up Oxton!"

Lena let out a growl as her feet slid in the slush, and she threw herself forward in an attempt to save herself from sliding back down the steep incline. Waking up early hadn't been an issue, and upon learning they would be running, Lena had been okay with that.

She hadn't been told they would be running through the mountains after it had snowed.

The others seemed to be more accustomed to climbing in such conditions, and Lena's attempts to catch up only resulted in her feet sliding out from underneath her. She let out another growl, fighting harder to get moving; she had to prove she could do this!

The brunette suddenly found herself moving forward much quicker than before, and it took her a moment to realize that she had "blinked", as Winston called it. It wasn't time traveling or teleporting per se; rather, the brunette apparently had the ability to speed up and reverse her own time. Lena was still doing her best to get a handle on it, and had blinked into a wall more times than she'd like to admit.

Lena focused on making herself blink forward several more times, stopping once she'd reached where the others were gathered.

"Okay, that's not fair," Fareeha managed through her panting; obviously she wasn't used to being back in the snow either. The younger Amari had planned to stay a few more days, and while Lena was happy to have her sister back for the time being, she wished it wasn't due to their mutual loss.

"You have a rocket suit," Lena pointed out.

"You don't see me using it here, do you?"

"Enough," Jack said sternly. "If you can blink, then there's no excuse for you to fall behind, Oxton."

"Yes sir," Lena said with a nod.

"Let's continue on."

* * *

Lena let out a grunt as she was slammed into the floor once again, and a boot was placed on her chest.

"Come on kid, you have to have more to you than this," Gabriel said.

The brunette shoved his foot off before she blinked to her feet, making to tackle him. Gabriel managed to catch her before she could, forcing her to her knees and wrapping an arm around her neck.

"You're too predictable," he said, applying pressure to her throat.

Lena struggled against his hold, soon finding herself moving backwards. The brunette ended up in her original position before she had tried to tackle him, and Lena instead aimed a roundhouse kick at his face, catching him off guard and knocking him back.

"What's that?"

Gabriel smiled. "Now see, if you could learn how to use that thing effectively, you'll be one hell of a force to deal with."

"That almost sounded like a compliment."

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it." Gabriel rubbed his jaw, which ached slightly. "Wait here for a moment, I have something for you."

Lena arched an eyebrow, but nodded, watching as the commander left the room.

"How's your jaw?" Angela asked teasingly as Gabriel entered the room where she'd been watching the two train.

"She kicks hard for a twelve-year-old," Gabriel replied. "Did Winston bring what I asked for?"

Angela's smile faltered. "I don't think this is a good idea—"

"She has to learn sometime; we can't coddle her." Gabriel opened the silver case, pulling out the objects inside. "Besides, don't you trust me?"

"… I don't want to hurt your feelings."

"Thanks doc." Gabriel went back into the training room, approaching Lena. "Here kid."

"What are they?"

"Pulse pistols."

Lena took them from him, looking down at the two pistols in her hands; the weight was light enough, but still unfamiliar. "They're a little small… do they even do anything?"

"I could ask the same thing about you."

Lena looked back at Gabriel, giving him a look.

"Just try them."

"Wha—you want me to shoot at you?"

"That would be the definition of 'try them', yes."

Lena raised the pistols hesitantly, though she made no motion to pull the triggers.

"Come on Oxton."

"I just don't really feel like this is right—"

Gabriel let out a sigh. "Here, let me give you some incentive." He pulled his two shotguns from his belt before raising them and firing.

The shot whizzed by Lena's head, and the brunette let out a yelp before she blinked away. "What the hell?!"

"Come on kid, defend yourself!" Gabriel fired at her again, and Lena quickly blinked a second time, blinking again when he fired his second shotgun. The brunette jumped before blinking, coming down while firing her pistols.

"All right, now let's stop fooling around and get to work."

* * *

"So they're actually trusting you with weapons now?"

Lena gave Fareeha a look. "You know, contrary to what you may believe, I can be trusted with responsibilities. I know how to fly fighter jets."

Fareeha smiled slightly before she handed the pulse pistol back to Lena. "And now you want to become an active Overwatch agent. You'll probably be put in the field before me."

Lena supposed she should have known that this issue would come up. "You know, you can join Overwatch if you want—"

"And abandon my duty in Egypt? No, this is something I must do for myself. I will earn my position in Overwatch."

"What is that supposed to mean? If you have something to say to me—"

"Lena, that wasn't meant to offend you. You have earned your place here; I intend to do the same through my actions, and not because my mother…" Fareeha trailed off; the two didn't really talk about Ana's death, and Lena had a feeling that her sister was keeping her feelings bottled up in an unhealthy way.

"You know you can talk to me about anything," Lena said gently.

Fareeha sighed, and she had just opened her mouth when Angela emerged from her office, stopping upon seeing the two. Angela and Fareeha looked at each other for a long moment, and Lena could feel the tension rising.

"Angela," Fareeha finally said, giving the doctor a nod before she continued down the hallway and around the corner.

Lena rolled her eyes at the exchange and shook her head; she loved her sister, but sometimes Fareeha was just impossible.

It seemed to take Angela a few moments to recover before she asked, "How was your training session, Lena?"

Lena shrugged. "All right, I suppose."

"I hope this transition to active agent doesn't mean I'll be seeing you in my office more often; for medical reasons, I mean."

Lena gave her a slightly crooked grin. "I can't make any promises there, but I'll do my best."

* * *

Lena let out a sigh as she dropped herself onto her bed, running a hand through her hair. It had been a week now since Ana's memorial, and the loss still stung as much as ever. There were times where Lena still called for the Captain, or expected to see her out tending to her bonsai.

Fareeha seemed to have taken the loss especially hard; it was no secret that her relationship with her mother had been strained for some time, and now to have Ana gone without any sort of closure… Lena couldn't imagine how that felt. Her sister had returned to Egypt two days ago, and Lena hadn't heard from her since. She could only hope that Fareeha would open up to her eventually, or at least to someone, for her own sake.

Lena's gaze fell on her tablet, and she considered trying to contact Fareeha. Normally, she was supposed to wait until Fareeha had free time to contact her; after all, she knew all too well the consequences of using such a device while on duty—

" _You better put that away."_

Lena's eyes widened at the memory, and the familiar voice. "Vasha!" With everything that had happened recently, the brunette had completely forgotten about her girlfr— she'd forgotten about Vasha. The last time she had talked to her had been before Slipstream; had Vasha been told what had happened? Did she think Lena had just been ignoring her? Lena quickly turned her tablet on, only to see a message displayed across the screen.

ONE UNREAD MESSAGE

Lena's brow furrowed, and she selected the unread message, which was a video file. Her heart stopped upon seeing the face of Captain Amari looking back at her, and she hardly dared to breathe as the video started.

" _I don't know why I'm bothering to make this… it's been three months since Slipstream disappeared, and you along with it. I keep going over it again and again in my mind, and I ask myself why I didn't warn you about the destabilization. I should have told you, I should never have let you go through with it_ …" Ana let out a sigh, rubbing her eyes. _"It seems empty without you… I'd grown used to having your brand of enthusiasm around, and now… I can't stand the quiet. Lena... I know you're still alive, somewhere out there. I can feel it, and I refuse to give up on you. I refuse to accept that you are truly gone, and I vow to do whatever I can to find you. That is my promise to you,_ _ḥ_ _abībti; I will never give up on you_."

The video ended, and Lena found that she had been crying. Ana would never know the truth… she would never know what had happened, or that she was right about Lena surviving the accident. The brunette wiped her eyes with a sniffle, closing the video. Vasha, she needed to contact Vasha; she could at least spare someone the pain of believing she was dead. Lena opened her contacts and selected Vasha's name.

ERROR, DEVICE NO LONGER IN SERVICE

Lena's brow furrowed. What was that supposed to mean? She selected Vasha's name again, only to be met with the same message. Had Vasha changed her contact information? Was something wrong with her tablet? Lena rolled off her bed and stood, heading for Winston's lab. Maybe he would know more than she did.

"Hey Winston?"

Winston let out a grunt, obviously engrossed in the formulas he was currently working on.

"Can you look at my tablet for a moment? It keeps giving me this odd message, and I don't know if it's problem on my end or Vasha's end."

Winston let out another grunt, finally looking up at the brunette after a minute or so. "What's a Vasha?"

Lena let out a laugh. "We met at Watchpoint Gibraltar during the pilot program, and we became friends, and…"

Winston waited for her to finish, and when she didn't, he supplied, "So she's your girlfriend?"

Lena colored at that. "I honestly don't know now. I tried to contact her, but it keeps telling me that I can't."

Winston let out a "hmming" noise before he held his hand out. "Let me see."

Lena handed the tablet over, and Winston selected Vasha's name, seeing the same message Lena had. He frowned slightly before he began further investigation, and Lena wandered over to a chalkboard, picking up a piece of chalk and beginning to draw.

"Don't erase anything."

"I'm not," Lena replied. There was silence between them before Lena broke it by asking, "Speaking of getting in touch with people, do you know where the Lacroixs are stationed? I want to catch up with Amelie; maybe after two years I can actually talk to her. Well, coherently anyway."

Winston paused, turned to look at the brunette. "The Lacroixs?"

"Yeah, the French people. Remember I made a fool of myself several times in front of Amelie?"

Winston shifted, looking a bit uncomfortable. "Lena… no one told you what happened?"

Oh, that couldn't be good. "… They had a baby? Please tell me that's what happened."

Winston sighed and shook his head. "Talon kidnapped Amelie about a year after you left for Watchpoint Gibraltar. We managed to find her and bring her back after about a year, but two weeks later… Gerard was found murdered and Amelie was gone again. We suspect Talon took her after killing Gerard."

That was not what Lena expected, or wanted, to hear. Everything was changing too quickly, and not for the better. "But why? Why would they take her after Gerard was dead?"

"We don't know. We suspect they initially kidnapped her to use as leverage against Gerard, but why they would take her after his death…" Winston shook his head. "I'm sorry Lena."

* * *

Something was wrong. Lena had noticed that everyone was acting a bit off lately, and whenever she approached a room, there seemed a mad scramble to… well, she didn't know what they were doing. All she knew was that for some reason, the others were hiding something from her.

The brunette had just finished another training session, and was on her way to get some food. As she approached Dr. Ziegler's office, she could hear the voice of a newscaster coming from the room.

"… _It has now been one week since Null Sector began its uprising in London, and the city remains under siege. More than fifty civilians have lost their lives, and thousands of others have fled_."

Lena's brow furrowed. London was under attack? She hadn't heard anything about this… was this what everyone had been hiding from her?

"Dr. Ziegler, what's going on?" Lena asked, entering the doctor's office.

Angela jumped at Lena's sudden appearance, and she quickly turned off the radio on her desk. "Lena, I didn't hear you coming—"

"What's this about London being under attack? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Angela let out a sigh. "Jack thought it was best if we… waited to see how this developed before we told you."

"London is my home, and I'm a part of Overwatch too! I don't need to be protected from this." Lena paused before another thought struck her. "We… we are going to get involved, right?"

"I'm sure we will, once we've had more time to see how the situation develops," Angela replied, though she didn't sound entirely convincing, almost as if she had been told what to say and didn't believe it.

Lena let out a sigh, knowing that she wasn't being told the whole truth, but she had to admit that for now, she could do little but watch and wait. "If we do end up getting involved… I'd like to help. I fought to survive, and I'm willing to fight for the world too."


	19. Chapter 19

Lena could hear the glass of the window shattering as she went through it, and her world was briefly thrown into confusion as she tumbled across the floor. The brunette hit the opposite wall and let out a groan as everything came back into focus.

" _Lena, are you all right_?" came Angela's voice over the comm.

"I'm okay," Lena replied, sitting up and picking her cap up off the floor. Outside, she could hear the sounds of Null Sector, and the building rocked as another airstrike hit nearby—

 _There was a bright flash of light followed by a deafening boom, and Lena was knocked off her feet as the hangar collapsed around her, pinning Vasha—_

"No, that's over, we all survived," Lena muttered, forcing the memory away.

"Lena!" Angela had come through the broken window, and the wings on her Valkyrie suit folded back up as she approached the brunette.

"I'm all right, Dr. Ziegler," Lena said, getting to her feet and placing her cap back on her head. "See, ready to get back into the fight."

Angela didn't look entirely convinced, but she said, "Stay near us; I'm responsible for keeping you safe, and I don't think Jack would appreciate it if anything happened to you."

Lena nodded. "Will do."

* * *

"Now remember, we just go out there, shake Mondatta's hand, receive our medals, and then we're done."

Lena nodded, her heart pounding. "So, we're not in trouble for violating the prime minister's order?"

"Considering we saved thousands of people, I think we're even," Torbjorn said.

"Don't worry, Tracer; just remember to tie your shoes this time," Reinhardt added.

"Oh, right!" Lena looked down before looking back up. "You know, I won't keep falling for that."

"Come on, we're being announced," Angela said, giving Lena a gentle nudge towards the stage.

Lena began walking out, her heart still pounding; why were they making her go first? They knew her track record, she'd do something to muck it up and embarrass everyone; why didn't Angela go first?

Mondatta was waiting for them alongside the prime minister, and Lena shook their offered hands, almost feeling as though she were detached from her body, much as she had during the graduation ceremony at Watchpoint Gibraltar.

Watchpoint Gibraltar. That felt so long ago, almost like another lifetime. After the Slipstream incident, everything had changed so much, and sometimes Lena felt as though she were having trouble keeping up. She still couldn't get a hold of Vasha; whatever device she had been using before, she apparently didn't use any longer, and Lena had no other way to contact her, aside from going to Numbani herself and seeking Vasha out. With a heavy heart, Lena had had to admit that whatever had been between them was over.

 _Maybe it's for the best; I have a new purpose now. I have to focus on my duty to Overwatch, and keeping people safe._

* * *

"Commander Morrison was very impressed with your mission report; he says you did very well for your first mission."

Lena colored at that, rubbing the back of her neck. "I was just doing my job… and what you told me, of course. I don't think I would have made it through without you, Dr. Ziegler."

Angela waved a hand at her. "I'm sure you would have been fine."

"You don't really believe that; I ran headlong into a group of omnics and got blasted by a Bastion."

"I suppose that is true."

Lena heard the sound of whispering, and she paused, turning to see that a group of children were following them. The children froze upon being spotted, and stared at the two with curious eyes.

"Why are they staring at us?" Lena whispered to Angela.

"I believe it is because they recognize you," the doctor replied. "After all, you are certainly somewhat of a local hero now."

"… Is that good or bad?"

"They are children, Lena; just try saying hello."

Lena turned her attention back to the group of children, who were all watching her intently. "Uh… hiya."

The children began whispering amongst themselves again before one child piped up, "Can you do that thing, that blinking?"

Lena smiled slightly before she ran forward and jumped, blinking over the group and landing on the other side. That was met with cheers, followed by the children swarming her, asking for autographs and all sorts of other questions.

Angela watched as Lena acquiesced to all the requests for autographs and pictures, and once the children were satisfied, they all ran off, leaving the doctor and the brunette alone.

"That was… unexpected," Lena said, approaching Angela. "I never imagined my accelerator would make me famous."

"It is not your accelerator, Lena. It's you, and you will get used to people approaching you." A pause before Angela added, "Lena, there is something we need to talk about."

"What's up?"

"We have been asked to establish a temporary watchpoint here in King's Row, just to keep an eye on everything and help the city rebuild and recover. Considering your history, Commander Morrison thought it best that you be the one to remain here."

Lena's brow furrowed slightly. "He wants me to stay here alone?"

"Not entirely; you'll have a few cadets under your command—"

"Wait; under my command?" That couldn't be right; this had only been her first mission. "Why would I be in control?"

"You know King's Row better than any agent we have."

"I'm only nineteen—"

"Weren't you the one who said your age had nothing to do with your abilities?"

"I keep falling for Reinhardt's shoelace trick, I can't be in charge of people!"

"Lena, I understand why you would be reluctant, but trust me when I say that Commander Morrison wouldn't ask this of you if he didn't believe you were capable."

Lena let out a sigh. "Do you think I can do this?"

Angela offered her a smile. "I have confidence in you, Lena… and I know that Ana would have too."

Ana. The thought of the fallen captain still stung, and Lena wasn't sure if that wound would ever fully heal.

"Do they know who did it?" Lena asked softly. "Commander Morrison said it was a sniper they'd been tracking…a new agent for Talon."

Angela could see the pain in Lena's face, and she replied, "We still don't know who the sniper is, no."

Lena clenched her fists, her old anger boiling up. "I swear, I will never let Talon get away with what they've done."

There it was; Angela had seen that same look in Fareeha's eyes, and though he would never admit it, she'd seen it in Jack's eyes too. "We are not in the business of revenge, Lena," the doctor said firmly. "I want you to promise me that you will not allow the want for revenge consume you. Do not let this become an obsession, or it will destroy you."

Lena paused a moment before she nodded, slowly letting out a breath and unclenching her fists. "I promise."

* * *

"Okay… I can do this. I am a responsible agent of Overwatch, and I can handle this."

"Agent Oxton?"

Lena jumped at the voice, turning to see one of the cadets standing there, saluting her. "Y-yes, what is it?"

"Your orders?"

"Oh, um… well, perhaps you and another cadet could go out and survey the damage of the city. I'm sure there are plenty of people who could use our assistance."

The cadet nodded before he left, and Lena let out a sigh. This was her first night officially in charge of the King's Row watchpoint; the others had already left to return to HQ. The brunette could already feel the pressure to perform well setting heavily upon her, and she let out a sigh. She couldn't just sit inside, she had to go outside or she would drive herself crazy.

"Cadet Bryer?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Hold down the watchpoint, would you? I'm going out to patrol; if you need anything, just contact me over the comm system."

"Will do ma'am."

* * *

The streets of King's Row still lit up fantastically at night, despite the damage it had endured. Many of the cobblestones had been torn up from the roads, and all around, Lena could see buildings that had suffered from fires. They had managed to stop Null Sector, yes, but even their defense of the city had caused more damage. Reinhardt's hammer, Toirbjorn's turrets… even Lena had been guilty of being thrown into a few cars and shooting a few windows. The city had a long road of healing ahead of it, but Lena had confidence that Overwatch's presence would help ease troubled minds.

"Lena?"

The brunette froze at her name before she turned around slowly, recognizing the person standing there. "Dad."

Her father approached her, and Lena steeled herself against whatever he had prepared. "So, you're one of them now?"

"I am an agent of Overwatch, yes."

He gestured to her accelerator. "What's that?"

"It's a chronal accelerator; I need it to stay anchored to the present—"

"Is this her, the one you said was your kid?" a woman asked, coming up to her father's side.

Lena's brow furrowed. "Who is this? Where's Mum?"

"She died."

The brunette felt as though she'd been punched. "Wha—when?"

"Last year—"

"And you didn't think to tell me?!"

"You left with that woman—"

"Captain Amari took me in after you threw me out and disowned me!"

"Ask her for the money," the woman said.

"What money?"

"The house is gone, Lena. It was destroyed when the Uprising started; we lost everything."

"Oh… I'm sorry."

"We don't need you to be sorry, we need you to help us out."

Lena knew she should have expected something like this. "That's what this is about. You finally speak to me again, and it's only because you want money. Well, I don't have any money."

"Don't fuck around Lena; your mug is all over London, you're practically the poster girl for that organization. Don't tell me you're not getting paid for that."

"I didn't join Overwatch for money, I did because I want to help people!"

"You should be helping us first!"

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." Lena began to turn away, only to feel her father grab her arm roughly.

"Don't turn your back on me, you ungrateful—"

"Let. Go." Lena had drawn her pistol before she realized it, and her father released her. The brunette took a step back, her pistol retracting into its holster. "I am sorry about what happened to you, but you cannot threaten me anymore. Our watchpoint will be providing aid and supplies to those who need it, and if you stop by, we will do what we can for you."

Her father's eyes narrowed, and Lena could see nothing but hate and rage in them… hate for her. "So that's how you're going to be then?"

"You brought this on yourself. You tossed me out like rubbish, and didn't care if I lived or died. Now I have a family who cares about me; they are the people I take care of first… and that no longer includes you."

" _Agent Oxton!"_

Lena's hand went to her communicator at Cadet Bryer's voice. "What is it?"

" _There's some unrest outside the watchpoint; I tried to settle it, but—"_

"It's all right; just keep anything from escalating until I get there." Without a second thought for her once father, Lena turned and blinked away, the only thought on her mind being reaching the watchpoint before things got out of hand.

* * *

She was alive. True, she had a new device strapped to her chest, and she zipping around much quicker than Ana had ever seen, but she was alive. She had survived the Slipstream malfunction, and seemed as determined as ever to help people.

Ana smiled as she watched Lena disappear around a corner; she could hardly believe that four years ago, she had taken Lena off these very streets and into her care. Just as she had expected, Lena was full of potential, and was far surpassing what Ana had expected from her.

"Very good, _ḥ_ _abībti._ You and Fareeha both… you have made an old soldier so proud."


	20. Chapter 20

"Cadet Bryer, how is it looking back at the watchpoint?"

" _Everything is running normally, Agent Oxton. Nothing to report."_

"Copy that." Lena lowered her hand as she continued her patrol through the streets of King's Row. It had been almost a year now since the Uprising, and people were still on edge, wondering if the omnics would try and rebel again.

The sudden sounds of a fight caught Lena's attention, and she quickly blinked around the corner in time to see a man being thrown out the door of a pub by a woman with fiery orange hair.

"And if you ever bring that shite 'round my bar again, you'll be wishing you were sitting here on your arse because next time you'll be landing on your head!"

Lena stared at the woman as she disappeared back inside the pub, and she found herself following her inside. Lena scanned the room for her, finding the redhead behind the bar, serving another drink. For a moment she considered approaching the bar and perhaps talking to her—

"Hey, you're that Overwatch agent—"

Lena inhaled sharply before she whipped around and blinked at the same time, launching herself full force into the doorframe. The brunette swore before she quickly blinked outside, not stopping until she was down the street and around the next corner.

"Bloody hell… she looked at me, she looked right at me…" Lena straightened up, putting a hand to her nose and wincing at the pain. "Damn… too late to recall now." The brunette let out a sigh before she resigned herself to having to return to the watchpoint and hopefully come up with a less embarrassing reason for her injury.

* * *

"I went out last night—"

"Oh, you finally left the base, did you?"

"Well, we didn't exactly want to have dinner there—"

"Wait; who is we?" Lena's brow furrowed. "Do you mean you went on a date?"

Fareeha flushed lightly. "I wouldn't exactly call it a date, we just went for dinner."

"I can't believe you! You went on a date; what about Dr. Ziegler?"

Fareeha's expression hardened. "I'm sure Angela has moved on—"

"No, she hasn't! She hasn't seen anyone since you enlisted!"

"She doesn't need to be a martyr; if I recall, she was the one who broke up with me."

"There was no breaking up! You left her, you left _me_!"

"Look, I am not going to apologize for this, and I'm not going to argue with you."

"Fine, go, just like you did before! Just don't blame me for it!" Lena hung up angrily, letting out a frustrated sigh. She knew she could have handled that better, and the more she dwelled on it, the worse she felt for yelling at her sister like that. What if something happened to her? What if those were the last words she said to Fareeha? The brunette touched the call button on her screen, watching as it rang.

" _This user cannot be reached; would you like to leave a message?"_

Lena sighed; she should have expected that Fareeha wouldn't pick up. "Fareeha… it's me. Look, I'm sorry for getting upset and yelling at you. I just… I care about you… please be safe, okay? I want you to come home in one piece—"

There was the sudden sound of glass shattering, and Lena whipped around in time to see a stun grenade on the floor. Her eyes widened, and she managed to get out, "Get down—" before it went off. The room was filled with a blinding light and Lena fell to the floor, her ears ringing. She covered her ears with her hands, letting out a noise of pain as she struggled to regain her senses.

Dimly, she registered the sound of a gun going off, and the brunette fought to see through the haze in her vision. She could barely make out a tall figure moving towards a prone cadet before firing their gun point blank.

"No!" Lena's own voice sounded muted and foreign, and the brunette struggled to sit up, drawing her pistols. She felt as though she were moving through molasses, and every action seemed far slower than it should be.

A heeled boot was suddenly on her chest, forcing her back down. She felt the barrel of a gun press against her forehead, and the brunette shakily raised a pistol, her ears still ringing. Two red eyes were glaring down at her through the haze, and Lena pulled the trigger, which seemed to take far longer than it should. Her hand was knocked aside, and the butt of the gun made contact with her head. There was a flash of pain before the darkness.

* * *

She was out now. The order had been to kill everyone inside the watchpoint, but this girl… Lena Oxton. Twenty years old… why did Overwatch care about her so much?

Widowmaker squatted down, using her gun for support as she looked over the unconscious brunette. Her gaze fell on the glowing accelerator on her chest, and her eyes narrowed before she tapped it a few times. There was no reaction, and Lena didn't move.

The sniper straightened up before she pressed the barrel of her gun against Lena's forehead again—

" _How do you manage to always sneak up on me at the most embarrassing times?"_

" _If I recall, you ran into me."_

" _Please don't remind me."_

Widowmaker paused. Those memories… that person… it seemed a lifetime ago. As far as Talon knew, that person was dead, and those memories erased. Of course, they weren't totally wrong; Amelie Lacroix was dead, but her memories… they were fragments, and those people were little more than ghosts.

Widowmaker paused a moment longer before she withdrew her gun, taking a step back. Lena Oxton would live… for now.

* * *

 _She was back inside the watchpoint. The other cadets were milling about, and the click of a gun caught Lena's attention. Upon glancing outside, she could see two red eyes glaring through the window, followed by the barrel of a gun._

" _Get down!"_

 _The cadets didn't seem to hear her, no matter how many times she yelled, and the glass was suddenly peppered with bullets, striking the cadets. Lena threw herself to the floor, covering her head and letting out a silent scream as glass rained down on her—_

Lena woke with a gasp, sitting up and immediately regretting it as her head exploded in pain. "Bloody hell…"

"Whoa, hold on there. You need to rest."

Lena looked up to see the redhead from the bar, and her heart rate quickened.

"You're looking at me like you've seen a ghost," the redhead added, kneeling beside her. "My name is Emily."

"… Lena Oxton…"

Emily smiled, a sight that somehow managed to melt Lena's heart, despite the situation. "You must really be out of it; I didn't think it'd be so easy to learn your secret identity."

"Secret identity?"

"Well, everyone just calls you Tracer; that's your call sign, right?"

"Yeah… Tracer… that's me." Lena's head was still aching, and it wasn't helping that Emily's presence was making her flustered. "Wait… you can't be here, I can't place a civilian in danger!" Lena tried to get to her feet, which was an even bigger mistake. Her head swam, and she staggered to the side.

"Hey, you need to sit down," Emily said, quickly getting to her feet and grabbing onto Lena's arm, helping to stabilize her. "You took a pretty nasty hit to the head; I don't think standing suddenly is the best course of action for you right now."

"My team… where are they?"

Emily bit her lip. "Please sit back down."

"No, I have to check on them."

"I really don't think you should."

Lena took a few steps forwards, her gaze falling on the three blankets on the floor. "No… no, no, this can't be happening…"

Emily put a hand on her arm, helping the brunette into a chair. "I'm so sorry Lena… I heard gunshots, and by the time I arrived… there was nothing that could be done for them."

Lena closed her eyes, pressing her face into her hands. "Did you see the person who did this?"

Emily shook her head. "I only saw a tall figure disappear onto the roofs… I didn't stop to talk to them considering they had a rather large gun."

Lena let out a sigh, her emotions and the reality of the situation hitting her like a brick wall. "I can't believe I let this happen…"

"You can't blame yourself; whoever did this was professional. I saw the spent stun grenade, and all your cadets… they were killed execution style."

"I have to call my commanders… I have to let them know what happened."

"You need to rest before you pass out again."

"I have to do my job."

"Lena—"

"I have to do my job!" Lena collapsed against the redhead, her shoulders shaking with sobs. "I-I have to d-do my job…"

"Shh, it's okay… it's going to be okay."

* * *

"What happened?"

"I did as I was ordered—"

"No, you didn't. You left one agent alive."

 _Show no fear; show no emotion. Your emotions make you vulnerable_.

"Why is Lena Oxton still alive?"

"She is important to Overwatch. They care about her—"

"Which is why we ordered you to kill her."

"She is still young now; she could be useful later on."

A pause. "Perhaps."

Widowmaker let out the breath she'd been holding.

"But even so, you defied a direct order. It would seem your conditioning is not yet complete."

A hand was suddenly around her throat, and it took every ounce of willpower Widowmaker had not to grab at the hand in a fruitless attempt to free herself. That had never worked before, and had only made her conditioning worse.

"We will have to continue with your sessions."

* * *

"Lena!"

The brunette looked up in time to be practically tackle- hugged by Angela. "I'm all right Dr. Ziegler…"

The doctor pulled away, looking at the gash on Lena's head. "I am so sorry Lena, I never thought… we never expected that someone would attack this watchpoint."

"Me either." Lena glanced up, her gaze falling on the covered bodies of the cadets that were being taken away. "I couldn't protect them… when I saw the grenade, I yelled at them to get down, but… it all happened so fast."

"Lena, this is not your fault."

"I was in charge, and it is my job to protect people!"

"You can't save everyone… it is a terrible truth we have all had to come to terms with." Angela's eyes grew sad at that, and Lena could imagine that the doctor had had to face that fact more times than she cared to admit. "At least you are safe."

"But why? Why did this person kill everyone and leave me alive? I felt the gun on my forehead, but they knocked me out instead. Why do I get to live when all the others were killed?"

"Lena, you can't think like that. You were caught off guard in an unwarranted attack; no agent can be truly prepared for that."

Lena looked down at her hands, her brow furrowing when she saw a few drops of blood land on her skin.

"Oh, your head is bleeding again." Angela picked up her staff, adding, "This may sting a bit." She gently pressed the needle into Lena's arm, watching as the gash on her head closed enough to stop bleeding.

"Thanks…"

"Lena!" The ground shook slightly as a flying object landed solidly before straightening up. Fareeha tore off her helmet, dropping it to the ground as she ran to her sister, embracing her tightly. "You're alive!"

"Fareeha… why are you here? You left your base?" Lena said after they broke apart.

"Of course I left! I was listening to your message, and all of a sudden, I heard yelling and gunshots. I thought… I was sure you were…" Fareeha hugged her again, tears of relief starting down her face. "I thought I had lost you too…"

"No… I'm all right."

"You certainly got here quickly," Angela said.

Fareeha released her sister before she straightened up, facing the doctor. "I convinced my superior I needed a transport."

"I see."

Silence. The two women remained unmoving, looking each other over.

"You look... nice," Fareeha said.

"And you look… fit."

"Oh my god, my head is pounding right now so I do not have the patience for this. Just snog and make up already," Lena said.

Both women flushed at that, averting their gazes from one another.

"I… I'm sorry for the way I left," Fareeha finally said. "I just… I had to get away… but then I lost my mother… and now the fear of losing Lena… I don't want to experience that with you." Fareeha clenched and unclenched her fists. "I miss you Angela…"

Angela looked back at the younger Amari, crossing her arms. "You lied to me… and then you left."

"I know…"

"You hurt me, Fareeha… and while I have forgiven you, I do not forget. Do not abuse my trust again; you won't get a third chance."

It took Fareeha a few moments to realize what Angela meant, and after a pause, she approached her, taking her hand gently. "I won't; I promise."

"Okay, the civilian checks out," Gabriel said, approaching the group. "I sent her on her way, though she seemed rather concerned about you kid." He grinned slightly. "Making some new friends, are we?"

"It wasn't anything like that; she's just being nice," Lena grumbled.

Gabriel shrugged before he said, "Well, let's get you back to HQ—"

"Back to HQ? You mean in Switzerland?"

"That's where our HQ is, yes."

Lena shook her head. "No, no I'm not going back. I'm staying here."

"Lena, this was a deliberate attack on an Overwatch watchpoint—"

"And if we leave King's Row, we're letting them win. I won't give them that satisfaction; I'm staying."

Angela let out a sigh, looking over at Gabriel. "Aren't you going to say something?"

Gabriel shrugged again. "If she wants to stay, I'm not going to drag her back."

"Thank you, that's very helpful."

"Maybe we should move you to an unmarked building," Fareeha said. "That way it won't be so obvious where we're operating from."

"I'm sorry, are you on board with the idea of her staying here?" Angela said, looking at the younger Amari.

"I'll be fine, Dr. Ziegler," Lena said. "This is my home, and I want to keep it safe. Please, let me stay just a little longer."


	21. Chapter 21

Lena paused, taking a deep breath before she entered the pub, her gaze falling on Emily. The brunette paused a moment longer before she made her way to the bar, sitting on one of the stools. Emily seemed to be distracted by the book she had open behind the bar, and Lena debated over whether or not to try and get her attention.

"Um… excuse me…"

"Hmm? Oh hey!" Emily smiled upon seeing her, and Lena flushed. "How are you?"

"I'm… okay. My head is better anyway."

"Glad to hear it."

Lena nodded, her mouth feeling dry. "I just… I wanted to thank you for what you did… and, you know, I wanted to talk to you without me being a blubbering mess."

Emily smiled, giving her a nod. "If we're being honest, I had hoped you would come back in here after that day I first saw you. You know, when you ran into the doorframe." The redhead's brow furrowed. "Though you didn't really run into it so much as… what do you call it, blinking?"

"Yeah, blinking."

"Is that what that thing on your chest is for?"

Lena looked down at her accelerator. "Well, it keeps me anchored to the present timeline… blinking is just a side effect."

"That sounds like a story you'll have to tell me sometime." A pause, "Can I get you a drink?"

"Oh, um… I've actually never had alcohol before."

"Never?"

Lena shook her head. "I've been told any alcohol would go straight to my head."

Emily laughed. "Okay, leave it to me, I'll get you started with something your speed." The redhead moved to begin mixing a drink, and Lena glanced at the still open book.

"Whatcha reading?"

"Oh, I go to school during the day," Emily replied as she worked. "I study when it's slow like this."

"What are you studying?"

"Law."

"Not so you can break it hopefully?"

"Why, you going to arrest me?" Emily gave her a wink and grin, and Lena immediately turned red, a familiar pitiful noise coming from her throat.

The redhead laughed at that before she set a glass in front of Lena. "I'm just teasin' you. I'm studying to be a lawyer."

Lena nodded, quickly picking up the glass and taking a long drink. She almost choked a few moments later, setting the glass down and coughing a few times.

"You okay?"

"Fine!" The bar suddenly felt very hot, and Lena tugged at the collar of her uniform.

"Did you like it?"

"What—oh, the drink." Lena realized that she had been so flustered and had drank it so quickly that she hadn't stopped to actually register how it tasted. "Um… I don't really know."

Emily raised an eyebrow. "You don't know? Do you want me to make you another one, because I can—"

"N-no, thank you, I have to… I have to get back to my watchpoint." Lena quickly stood and reached into her pocket, pulling out a few bills. "Here, I hope… I hope this is enough."

Emily took the bills, a slight look of surprise of her face. "Lena, this is way too much—"

The brunette was already gone, and Emily shook her head. "Yep, she's gay."

* * *

The new watchpoint felt more like an apartment than it did an official Overwatch installment. Lena knew why they had moved her to an unmarked building, but she still wasn't entirely on board with it. How were people supposed to know where to go for help if there was nothing to identify this as an official Overwatch watchpoint?

The brunette let out a sigh, turning away from the computer screen and looking around the empty room. She was on her own now; no new agents had been sent, and Lena wasn't sure if it was because they didn't trust her, or because they were too afraid of a repeat incident.

The door to the watchpoint suddenly opened, and Lena sprang to her feet, drawing her pistols. She was met with the sight of Commander Morrison, and she relaxed before quickly moving into a salute.

"Commander Morrison sir, I didn't know you were coming," Lena said.

"At ease, Oxton."

The brunette relaxed, noticing that Commander Morrison didn't look entirely pleased. "Is something wrong, sir? Have I done something?"

"I heard you refused to return to HQ."

"I wanted to stay here sir, to continue protecting King's Row—"

"You had direct orders to return to HQ."

Lena's brow furrowed. "But—"

"Sit, Oxton."

The brunette did so, feeling rather small.

"What happened that day at the watchpoint?"

"Sir?"

Jack moved to stand in front of her, crossing his arms. "The day the watchpoint was attacked, what happened?"

"I already wrote my report, sir—"

"I know, and I've read it, but there are a few things that don't make sense. The main one being why did you survive with little more than a laceration on your head when all the cadets were killed?"

" _Get down!"_

 _There was a bright flash of light, and windows were suddenly sprayed with bullets, bringing down the cadets where they stood. She was trying to get up, to get to them, but their blood was pooling out across the floor, keeping her trapped, slowly drowning her—_

"Did you hear me Oxton?"

Lena put a hand to her head, forcing the image away. "I don't know sir."

"You don't know what?"

"I don't know why I was spared."

"So you have no idea who the killer was?"

Lena's brow furrowed as she suddenly realized where this was going. "You think I had something to do with this?"

"I am just looking at the facts—"

"I would never do something like this! You know I am dedicated to Overwatch; I've proven myself to you more than once!"

"Oxton—"

"You don't think I've asked myself that same question a hundred times over? Why I was the only one to live when all the cadets lost their lives? I have nightmares about it every night, and every noise makes me jump because I can't help but wonder if the killer is coming back to finish the job!"

Jack was silent, and Lena looked down.

"Sometimes I wish I had been killed with them…" she said softly.

Jack let out a sigh. "I'm sorry Lena. I knew it was ridiculous to think you had anything to do with this, but things have been… tense lately. People have started to speak out against us… some even think we're criminals."

Lena looked back up at the commander. "Why?"

"I don't know." Jack placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know what it's like to be the only one to survive… and I am glad you were not taken from us."

"Thank you sir."

* * *

Lena let out a sigh as she looked at the sad plastic tray in front of her. Another night had fallen on King's Row, and once again, she was eating dinner alone.

"Maybe I should have gone back to HQ…" the brunette muttered to the empty room as she poked at her food with her fork.

"Or maybe you should stop sitting around feeling sorry for yourself."

Lena's brow furrowed, and she looked up, seeing Vasha sitting across from her. "Vasha…? How… what are you doing here?"

"You know why I'm here; you conjured me up as a way to deal with your inner turmoil." Vasha smiled before she added, "So, let's talk about this Emily character."

Lena looked back down at her food. "I didn't expect this to happen, but I think I like her…"

"Well, you obviously like her, you blinked into a doorframe full force when she noticed you."

The brunette looked back up with slight surprise. "How do you know about that?"

Vasha gave her a look.

"Oh, right… you're in my head…"

"Lena, what's really bothering you about this?"

"I just don't know where you and I stand."

"We never had closure, so you're not sure if you can proceed with Emily because a part of you will feel like you're cheating on me."

Lena nodded. "I still have feelings for you, Vasha…"

"And a part of you always will, but we haven't talked in two years."

"Why? Why did you suddenly stop talking to me? Why can't I contact you?" Lena asked almost desperately.

"I only know as much you, remember?"

"Right…" Lena let out a sigh, rubbing her face. "I'm so pathetic… I have to conjure you up just to make myself feel better…"

"You're lonely, which is why you should at least try with Emily."

"I just don't know how I would even approach her."

"It sounds like you already have approached her."

"You know what I mean—"

"You're doing the exact same thing you reprimanded Fareeha for."

Lena scowled, and Vasha grinned.

"What are you so worried about anyway, it's not like this is the first person you've had feelings for. We were together, remember?"

"That was different, you did most of the work, I just awkwardly said yes."

Vasha laughed. "Look, why don't you just do something nice for her, show her you're interested?"

"You mean like leaving flowers at her apartment and saying they're from a secret admirer?"

"If you say they're from a secret admirer then how does she know it's you?"

"… Right, of course, that would be silly."

Vasha gave her a flat look. "You already did that, didn't you?"

"… You know, you don't have to call me out on it."

* * *

"… and when I got home, there were flowers waiting for me, though there wasn't a name on a card."

"O-oh?" Lena took a sip from her drink, doing her best to remain calm. "Who do you think it was?"

Emily shrugged. "Probably the blond guy that comes in here every night."

"Who, that guy?" Lena's gaze fell on the blond in question, who was currently sitting at the end of the bar.

"Why, do you think it was someone else?"

Lena looked down at her drink. "Whoever it was, it must be someone thoughtful."

"Or someone too afraid to just ask me out to my face."

"I don't know if I'd use the word 'afraid'… maybe they're just nervous. Maybe they've never done this before."

"Well, I don't have time to track this mystery person down. If they really want a chance with me, they should just say so."

Lena picked up her drink, muttering, "Maybe they're gay and they don't know how to approach you…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Emily paused from where she had been drying glasses, looking back at the blond at the end of the bar. "You know, I'm pretty sure it was him. I'm going to talk to him about it—"

"I'm gay for you!" It was out before Lena could stop it, and her face immediately colored.

Emily paused at that, feigning surprise. "Oh?"

"I left the flowers for you."

"You did? I had no idea!"

"… You're being sarcastic right now, aren't you?"

Emily rolled her eyes. "Lena, let's face it: you haven't exactly been subtle about how you feel about me. I mean, you're not staring at my breasts, but you come in here every other day and you nurse your one drink as long as you can."

Lena buried her burning face in her hands. "I know. I just… I've never done anything like this before, and you're just so amazing. I mean, you're smart and you're funny, and you're tough, and when I look at you, I just…" Lena trailed off, too embarrassed to continue.

"Your forgot my most important trait."

"Which is?"

"I'm gay."

Lena slowly lowered her hands, staring at the redhead. "You… you and me… we could actually… you would actually… we could date?"

"Well, you haven't actually asked me yet—"

"Please go on a date with me!"

Emily smiled before she said, "Well, since you asked so nicely… how about tomorrow night at my apartment, say seven?"

Lena nodded, too dumbstruck to do anything else.

* * *

Lena let out a long breath as she looked at herself in the mirror. Slacks, a button up shirt, a waistcoat… it had been a while since she'd worn something other than her uniform. The brunette paused, fussing with her hair a bit before she went to where her accelerator was charging. She picked it up and put it on, tightening the straps and looking at herself in the mirror again.

Her tablet suddenly began to ring, and Lena pressed the accept button, displaying the call on the larger screen mounted on the wall. "Tracer here."

"Oh, don't you look fancy," Fareeha said, and Lena could practically hear the grin in her voice.

Lena flushed, looking back in the mirror. "I don't know… I feel a little ridiculous…"

"What's the occasion?"

"I'm… meeting with someone."

"Mm-hm. What's her name?"

"Emily." Lena looked back at her sister. "She's funny and smart and beautiful and I'm terrified that I'm going to muck this up somehow."

"Come on, don't think like that. You have to go in confident; she agreed to a date, didn't she? That already proves she likes you."

"I hope so… I'm so nervous."

* * *

Lena took a deep breath before she knocked on the door to Emily's apartment, her heart pounding as she waited for the redhead to answer.

"Hi!" Emily said, opening the door and offering Lena a smile that immediately made the brunette's heart melt. "I'm running a little late, sorry."

"It's fine." Lena stepped into the apartment, handing the redhead a bouquet. "I got these for you."

"No mysterious note this time?" Emily said with a teasing smile.

Lena turned pink, looking away.

"They're beautiful; thank you Lena." Emily made her way to the kitchen area, and Lena followed, looking around the room. It was a studio apartment, and as Lena glanced towards the sleeping area, her gaze fell on an Overwatch poster on the wall.

"That's me."

"What—oh shite!" Emily's face turned red, a blush that spread down to her chest. "I meant to take that down before you got here, I know it's probably awkward for you—"

"No, it's fine." Lena offered the redhead a smile. "I didn't realize you were such a fan."

Emily didn't reply, her face still flushed as she turned to check on the food in the oven.

Lena moved to sit on one of the bar stools, another thought striking her. "Emily… please don't get upset, but I have to ask… you didn't just accept my date because I'm part of Overwatch, did you?"

"I accepted your date because I like you, Lena. Your association with Overwatch doesn't matter to me."

"So you would have said yes even if I wasn't Tracer?"

"Where is this coming from?" Emily turned back to face the brunette, a look of slight concern on her face. "Is there something you want to talk about? Is it because of the poster because my friends gave that to me as a joke—"

"I just… I have to be sure that you like me for me, and not because of Overwatch."

Emily approached the brunette, taking her hands gently. "I said yes to Lena Oxton, and I would have said yes to Lena Oxton even if she wasn't Tracer. I was just surprised you noticed me at all."

"How could I not?"

Emily smiled at that before she leaned in slightly, which immediately made Lena panic and pull away. The redhead seemed to realize her mistake, and she pulled away, releasing Lena's hands.

"Sorry, I thought… I'm sorry, I should have asked first…" Emily was becoming increasingly flustered, which only made her Irish accent heavier. "I'm just going to check on the food."

Lena watched the redhead, her heart pounding. She would be lying if she said she didn't want to kiss Emily, but that… that was a level of intimacy she had never achieved with anyone before.

"Food's ready," Emily said, pulling Lena from her thoughts. The redhead set a plate in front of Lena before sitting down herself. "I hope you like it."

Lena picked up her fork, beginning to eat. "This is amazing."

"Really?"

Lena nodded, continuing to eat. "The only thing I can make without the threat of burning the kitchen down is tea."

Emily laughed, a sound that Lena had a definite interest in hearing again. "Well, that is certainly good to know."

The brunette glanced back up at her companion, soon finding herself unabashedly staring.

Emily soon noticed, pausing in her eating. "Do I have something on my face?"

"I didn't mean to offend you earlier… you know, when you tried to…"

Emily colored lightly, accentuating the freckles on her face. "I'm sorry again, I shouldn't have tried to—"

"I want to kiss you."

"… Right now?"

"N-no… well, maybe… I mean… I want to kiss you eventually. It's just… I wasn't expecting… I've just never… I've never actually kissed anyone before."

"Never?"

Lena shook her head, watching as Emily tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Maybe… maybe you would let me… try it on you?"

Emily gave her a look, though she was smiling. "I thought you said you didn't want to right now."

"… If I don't do it now, I don't know if I'll ever be brave enough to do it."

The redhead smiled again, leaning in a bit before she said, "All right, give me your best shot then."

Lena paused for a few moments before she leaned in hesitantly and pressed a gentle kiss to Emily's lips. They were softer than Lena had anticipated, and she found that her concerns about doing it right began to melt away. Kissing Emily felt almost like second nature, and the brunette was reluctant to pull away.

"Can… can we do that again?" Lena asked, her heart pounding.

Emily grinned, bringing a hand up and running it through Lena's hair, something Lena found that she enjoyed immensely. "I think that can be arranged."


	22. Chapter 22

"So, how did the date go?"

Lena struggled to find her voice, still recovering from her date last night.

"Lena?"

"She's amazing Fareeha… she made me dinner, and then we kissed—"

"You kissed?" Both of Fareeha's eyebrows rose at that. "You've never kissed anyone before."

"How do you know I haven't, I could have—"

"Lena, you told me you hadn't. This Emily must really be a big deal because you only met her about a month ago, and now she's your first kiss."

Lena colored lightly before she said, "Yes, well, at least it didn't take me years."

Fareeha gave Lena a look. "All right, smartass, you got me there. So what happened after the kissing?"

Lena paused for a moment as she recalled the rest of the night. "We finished dinner… watched a movie, and then I left... I'm not even sure how I got back here last night. Am I still wearing my clothes from yesterday?"

"It looks like it, yes."

"I thought so…" Lena shook her head, still in disbelief. A part of her feared that it had all been a dream; a wonderful dream, but a dream nonetheless. Last night had been the first night she hadn't been tormented by nightmares of the cadets being shot and their blood drowning her.

"Well, I'm glad you had a good night."

"Yeah…"

Fareeha rolled her eyes before she said, "So are you actually coherent enough to continue having a conversation, or should I hang up? I only have about five more minutes to talk before I have to go."

Lena shook her head, trying to reorganize her thoughts. "No, no I'm okay."

* * *

There was a knock a the door, followed by, "Mail call, Agent Oxton."

Lena let out a sigh, lowering her pistol. She still jumped at noises like that, afraid that the killer was back for her, but it seemed as though she was more interesting to them alive because there hadn't been any further incidents since the day of the attack.

"Thank you," Lena said after she opened the door, taking the package from the courier. The brunette closed the door, glancing at the clock. It had been a week since her first date with Emily, and she was preparing to meet with the redhead for their second date. She figured she still had time, so she turned her attention to the package, noticing that it was from the Overwatch HQ. Upon opening it, she found two notes and a projection disc.

 _Lena,_

 _I found this in the pocket of your pilot's jacket (which you left on the floor in my office), and I figured you would want it. Please stay safe._

 _Angela_

Lena set the doctor's note aside before she unfolded the second one, her stomach tightening as she recognized the handwriting.

 _Don't be a stranger, Oxton._

Lena turned on the projection disc, her stomach clenching tighter. There was a picture of her and Vasha, both in their pilot's uniform; she recognized it as the picture they had taken after their final flight test. Vasha must have slipped the disc into her pocket sometime afterwards…

"Uh oh. What's that look for?"

Lena shook her head, looking up to see her conjured Vasha standing across from her, arms crossed. "What is this… why did you leave this for me?"

Vasha shrugged. "Probably because I liked you, and we were about to be in two separate countries."

Lena shook her head; she had been doing so well in moving past in her guilt, in accepting that whatever she'd had with Vasha was over and it was okay to move on, but now this…

"Lena, what are you thinking?"

"I can't… I have to call Emily, tell her I can't—"

"Because of this? Lena—"

"I can't!" Lena's voice echoed in the empty room, reminding her just how alone she was. "I can't… not tonight… she'll understand…"

* * *

Emily frowned as she checked her watch yet again. Lena should have met up with her fifteen minutes ago; it wasn't like Lena to be late. A little clumsy and accident-prone, of course, but not late. Emily began to wonder if perhaps something had come up; Lena was, after all, an active agent of Overwatch, and it was entirely possible that she had been called for something.

 _Still, she would have called me._

Emily bit her bottom lip as she recalled the day the watchpoint… the dead cadets, and Lena unconscious on the floor… what if something like that had happened again? That was a scenario Emily didn't want to think about, and after a few more minutes, she began towards the watchpoint.

Upon arriving, Emily knocked on the door and said, "Lena? Lena, are you in there? It's Emily."

No response. The redhead frowned and knocked again.

"Lena, if you're in there, please just tell me if you're all right. I'm not mad, I just want to know you're okay."

There was silence for a few moments longer before the door opened, revealing the brunette. "Emily…"

"Lena, are you all right?" Emily asked, noticing the agent's expression. "Is everything okay?"

Lena's grip on the door tightened a bit; she wasn't sure how to respond to that question. "I know we were supposed to go out tonight… I'm sorry…"

"Lena, did something happen?"

"You… you should find someone else… someone better than me." Lena began to close the door, but Emily's hand shot out, quickly catching it.

"Hold on; what the hell is that supposed to mean? Lena, please tell me what's going on so I can help."

"I just don't know if I can be with you."

"Why? Is this because of Overwatch, because I already told you, I don't care about that—"

"It's about Vasha."

Emily's brow furrowed; she didn't know who or what Vasha was. "Can we talk about it?"

Lena let out a sigh, but it was obvious that Emily wasn't going away, so she opened the door further, letting the redhead in. Emily entered and closed the door behind her, following Lena to the couch.

"When I went to Watchpoint Gibraltar for the pilot program, I met a girl there named Vasha," Lena explained as she sat down. "We became friends, and during the last few months of the program…"

"You were together?" Emily finished, sitting beside the brunette.

Lena nodded; she wasn't sure if it would help, admitting her past relationship to Emily, but she figured it had to be better than just letting it fester inside of her.

"Lena… you having an ex isn't a big deal," Emily said.

"That's just it though; I don't know if she is my ex."

The redhead's brow furrowed in a way that Lena would have found endearing under any other circumstance. "I don't follow."

Lena let out another sigh.

 _Get ready to hate me, Emily._

"When we left Watchpoint Gibraltar after the program ended, Vasha and I decided to try a long distance relationship, but then I… I had… there was an incident, and I was… removed from contact for a few months." She knew it was vague, but Slipstream was still classified, which meant Emily couldn't know the exact details. "When I finally was able to return, I tried to contact her, but I couldn't. It was like… like she just disappeared. I haven't heard from her since, and then today, I received this from Dr. Ziegler." Lena held up the projection disc and turned it on, showing Emily the picture of her and Vasha. "I don't know where Vasha and I stand… I don't know if we're still together, or if she's waiting for me, or if she's forgotten all about me. Do… do you understand?"

Silence passed between them. Lena's stomach clenched into tight knots as she watched Emily's face, hoping to get some sort of read on what the redhead was thinking.

"You need closure," Emily finally said.

"Yeah…" Lena didn't feel any better. "I'm sorry Emily, I really like you, I do. You're great, and I really want to date you, but I just…" Lena covered her face with her hands. "It's selfish, I know…"

Lena felt Emily gently pull her over so that she was leaning on the redhead, and she could feel a hand running through her hair.

"Really, your hair just does this? I thought maybe you went through a tube of hair gel a day," she heard Emily say.

The brunette smiled slightly despite herself.

"Listen, Lena, I understand why you're hesitant about dating, and if you want, we can wait until you get the closure you need. I don't want to force you into something you aren't comfortable with."

Lena sat up, looking at her companion. "You… you're willing to wait? For me?"

Emily nodded. "I like you, Lena; did you think I was just going to give up because things might get a little rocky? Mama didn't raise no quitter."

Lena stared for a while, her brain fully processing what Emily had said. Emily liked her. Emily liked her enough that she was willing to wait and work through this with her. The brunette was having trouble believing it.

"Lena? Are you all right?" Emily asked, pulling Lena back to the present.

"I think I will be."

* * *

"Report Oxton."

"Everything is running as usual Commander Morrison sir; nothing out of the ordinary to report."

Jack nodded before he added, "At ease Oxton."

Lena lowered her salute and relaxed a bit.

"Lena, there is another reason I've contacted you," Jack said.

"Yes sir?"

"It's been four months since the attack on the watchpoint there, and over a year since Uprising. I think it's time to pull you out."

Lena had known this would happen eventually. Things had been calm here long enough that she knew it was just a matter of time before they decided to pull her out.

"Back to Switzerland, sir?"

"Yes, we're bringing you back to HQ. I know King's Row is your home, but Overwatch is in a delicate position right now. We need you back here."

What could she say? He was right, King's Row was her home, but she would be lying if she said she didn't miss her Overwatch family. Besides, if they needed her, then it was her duty to return.

"All right sir. When should I prepare to return?"

"We will have a transport arriving for you tomorrow morning, so finish up any business you may have there tonight."

* * *

Upon entering the pub, Lena found Emily in her usual spot behind the counter. The brunette paused a moment before she approached; this would not be the easiest conversation, and she had a feeling it would be like leaving Vasha all over again.

"Hey Em," Lena said, sliding onto a stool. "How goes the job search?"

"Not great so far," Emily replied. Having passed her final license test a month or so ago, the redhead was now a full fledged lawyer, but seemed to be having trouble finding a firm to take her on. "How goes it with you?"

"… I have a job?"

Emily gave the brunette a look, though she was smiling. "I meant how are you?"

"Oh. I'm… I'm being pulled out of King's Row." Well, so much for finding the right way to say it.

Emily's brow furrowed. "Like for a mission?"

Lena shook her head. "No, I mean for good. Commander Morrison wants me to return to HQ."

"Oh."

Silence.

"Does Overwatch need a lawyer?"

Lena looked at the redhead, a bit confused. "What?"

"Well, I mean, your team kind of destroyed a lot of King's Row when you all came here to defend it, and if people tried to sue you for damages, it would help if you had a lawyer."

"Okay, are you asking because you need a job or because you want to come with me?"

Emily smiled slightly. "Both."

Lena's brow furrowed; this conversation was not going the way she had anticipated. "Why?" she found herself asking. "Why are you willing to leave your life here behind to come with me?"

Emily paused for a moment before she said, "I should be honest with you, Lena; I don't really have much of a life here. I moved here a few years ago from Ireland to attend law school, but I never really felt like I had established a life here. Meeting you has been my only tie to King's Row, and if you leave… well, I'll probably end up just moving back home. Besides, if I have a chance to work for Overwatch, how can I pass that up?"

"I guess I can't argue with that; I love being part of Overwatch."

Emily smiled. "So, when are we leaving?"


	23. Chapter 23

"So, what should I expect?"

Lena looked up from where she had been playing her game. "What?"

Emily smiled slightly. "When we get to Overwatch HQ I mean; what should I expect? You did tell them I was coming with you, right?"

"Uhhh…" Lena trailed off intelligently.

"You didn't tell anyone, did you?"

"I was going to! But then I was packing, and I had to make sure everything at the Watchpoint was shut down and I just… look, it won't be a big deal. Everyone will love you."

Emily smiled fondly. "Don't you think you're a little biased?"

"No! Well, I mean, maybe… but right now I'm not!"

Emily laughed, running a hand through her hair and brushing it back over her shoulder. Lena found herself staring longer than she probably should have at the motion, and when her gaze met Emily's, she immediately turned red and looked back down at her game.

"Everything okay?" Emily asked, though she was wearing a knowing smile. Lena wasn't exactly subtle, after all.

"Fine!"

* * *

"Wow, this is impressive," Emily said, looking up at HQ as they stepped out of the transport.

"I know, right? I mean, I've seen it a bunch, and I'm still impressed," Lena said, leading the redhead inside. "I suppose we should find Commander Morrison and check in—" The brunette stopped at the sight of a familiar figure at the top of the staircase, and a smile spread across her face. Without an explanation for Emily, Lena blinked across the room and up the staircase, blinking full force into her sister.

"AGH!" Lena practically rebounded off Fareeha's solid figure.

Fareeha turned at the sudden contact, looking down at the shorter brunette. "I thought I taught you to aim for the navel when you try to tackle someone."

"I did, but you didn't even budge!" Lena protested. "What, are you made out of bricks or something?"

Fareeha let out a short laugh, taking Lena's arm and easily hauling her to her feet. "You're lucky I wasn't wearing my rocket suit, or that would have hurt a lot more."

"Nice to see you too." Lena moved to embrace her sister before she added, "What are you doing here? You didn't say anything about coming to HQ."

"I didn't realize I had to keep you informed on all my decisions," Fareeha replied. "You didn't tell me you were coming back."

"I didn't even know until yesterday, and I didn't have any say in the matter. Commander Morrison pulled me out of King's Row; now, back to my original question, yeah? Why're you here?"

"… I have my reasons."

Lena gave her a look. "Oh, so you're here to see Dr. Ziegler then. You could just say that, you know."

"Lena—"

"What, it's not like it's a big secret, we all know."

"Well, who's your friend then? Is this the infamous Emily?" Fareeha asked, crossing her arms and gesturing with her head behind Lena.

"Don't try and change the subject—"

"I see you've been talking about me."

Lena froze at Emily's voice, her face immediately coloring. "Only good things!" she said quickly, turning to face the redhead. "I promise!"

"Well that's reassuring at least," Emily said, though she was smiling. "I take it you are the sister Lena mentioned?"

"So I am important enough to warrant a mention," Fareeha said before she offered Emily a hand. "Fareeha Amari."

"Emily Donovan," the redhead replied, shaking the offered hand.

"Lena."

The brunette turned at the voice, seeing Commander Morrison gesturing for her to join him in the command room.

"Be right back luv," Lena said before she left, heading for the room. "Commander Morrison, sir."

"At ease, Oxton," Jack said, offering her a smile. "Good to see you're still in one piece."

Lena grinned. "Yes sir, still managing to hold everything together."

Jack's gaze fell on Emily, who was still talking with Fareeha. "You brought a civilian with you?"

"Oh, yeah, uh… well, you see sir, Emily here is a lawyer, just got her license actually, and she was thinking that it might be beneficial for Overwatch to have a lawyer—"

"You wouldn't happen to have a personal relationship with her as well, would you?"

Lena felt her face grow hot. "I… well… it's a little complicated, sir."

"It's a yes or no question."

"I don't have a yes or no answer; wish I did though."

Jack crossed his arms, and though he wouldn't admit it out loud to Lena, Overwatch was in troubled times. As ridiculous as it sounded, having some sort of legal protection might actually benefit them.

"Send her in; I'll talk to her," he said.

Lena's eyebrows rose in surprise; she had expected that it would take more time to convince Commander Morrison that Emily could help them. He wasn't exactly known for giving in so easily… now that Lena thought about it, the Commander looked more exhausted than usual.

"Lena? Did you hear me?"

Commander Morrison's voice pulled her from her thoughts, and Lena nodded. "Yes sir, sorry, I just… is everything all right?"

Jack was silent for a few moments before he let out a sigh. "I don't know, Lena. Send your friend in."

* * *

Lena had never been very good at sitting still, or waiting for that matter. During Emily's meeting with Commander Morrison, the brunette found herself roaming around HQ, if only to keep herself from pacing directly outside the room they were in.

"You're going to wear holes in the carpet."

Lena perked up at the familiar voice, and she blinked over to where Emily was standing. "How did it go? Is he letting you stay?"

Emily smiled slightly. "Take a breath; everything is fine."

"So… yes then?"

"Yes, Lena, I'm staying, so try not to go through any more windows, okay? That will start getting expensive."

Lena grinned, and she hugged Emily tightly, her accelerator bumping against the redhead.

* * *

"Ta-da! You're impressed right?"

Emily looked around the room before she said, "I'm impressed at how clean it is."

Lena made a face, and Emily laughed. The brunette made her way into her room, setting her bag down near the closet and sitting on the bed with a sigh. Her accelerator felt heavier than when she'd put it on in the morning, as if often did at the end of the day.

 _This weight I have to carry around just to be normal._

Lena began to undo the clasps and loosen the straps before she pulled it over her head. For a moment, that brief fear that always gripped her when she removed her accelerator showed itself; the fear that removing it would somehow cause it to malfunction, and she would be ripped through timelines again.

 _Being thrown from timeline to timeline, never knowing what was real, where I really am, if it would ever end—_

"Lena?"

Emily's voice pulled her back to the present, and Lena looked up at her. Emily was wearing a concerned expression, and the brunette set her accelerator in its charging station before she stretched a bit.

"I'm fine." It sounded like a lie, even to her ears.

The redhead crossed her arms. "I have known you for almost a year now, and you are not the type of person who uses 'fine' to describe how they are. What's up?"

Lena sighed again before she resumed sitting on the bed, where Emily joined her. "I just can't describe to you how it felt, Em… being ripped from timeline to timeline, never really belonging anywhere. I was a ghost, yeah? Just this… thing passing through, and I'm… I'm scared." Lena took a shuddering breath, unable to look at her companion. "I'm bloody terrified it will happen again…"

There was a pause before Emily pulled the brunette into a tight embrace, this time with no accelerator to get between them. Lena found herself enveloped in Emily's scent, and she held herself close to the redhead.

"You're not going anywhere," Emily said. "And even if the worst happens, I will find a way to bring you back home, no matter what it takes. I will not abandon you."

Lena could feel herself tearing up at the sincerity in Emily's voice, and she buried her face in the redhead's neck, holding herself close.

* * *

Upon waking up the next morning, Lena started for a moment at the sight of another person in bed with her. It took her a moment to remember that it was Emily, and it occurred to Lena that this was the first time she had actually slept with someone else in her bed.

The redhead in question rolled over, her eyes open, and Lena grinned crookedly.

"Hiya."

Emily glanced at the brunette before she let out an amused noise. "Even when you've just woken up, your hair still spikes like that."

Lena tried to glance up at her hair. "I guess? It's always had a mind of its own I suppose."

"Apparently." Emily sat up with a yawn and stretched her arms above her head, an action that caused Lena to stare far longer than was appropriate. "So what's the plan for today?"

"Tea first, then I can think about the rest of the day."

"God, you are so British."

* * *

"Is this the kind of jet you used to fly?"

Lena looked up at the fighter jet sitting in front of them, the one she had flown back from Watchpoint Gibraltar after finishing the program. "Yep; this is my insignia, right here." Lena ran her hand over the painted insignia, smiling slightly. "Tracer here…" Being a pilot did seem like another lifetime, and as Lena looked at the jet in front of her, she felt a sort of longing for that life. After all, being a pilot was what she had wanted to do, and how she had wanted to serve Overwatch. "I tell you Em, there's no feeling like flying."

"I've been in an airplane, Lena."

"That's not the same as being in the cockpit yourself." Lena looked at the jet a bit longer as an idea began to wriggle into her head. It was probably a terrible one, and she might get in trouble for it, but she wanted to fly, even just one more time. Before she could think about it further, Lena blinked inside the hangar and grabbed two helmets, blinking back out and handing one to Emily. "Put this on."

Emily looked down at the helmet in her hands. "Why?"

"Because I am going to show you my world."

"Lena, are we allowed to do this—"

"I am still a certified pilot, and this is my jet." Lena climbed up onto the jet, opening the cockpit before she reached a hand down to help Emily help. "Comfy?" she asked once the redhead was situated in the seat.

Emily nodded before she said, "Are you sure we should do this?"

"We'll only be gone for a short time, it'll be fine." Lena put her own helmet on before she sat in the pilot's seat, closing the cockpit. Being back behind the controls… it filled her with a sense of belonging and comfort.

" _What are you doing, kid?"_

That was Commander Reyes's voice coming over the mic.

"Just taking my jet out for short flight, sir," Lena replied.

" _Showing off for your girlfriend_?"

Lena's face grew hot at that. "She's not my girlfriend."

"Hey, do I have some say in that?" Emily said from behind the brunette.

" _Just make it quick, or Jack will have a conniption."_

Lena smiled slightly. "Will do." The brunette started up the ignition, smiling as the jet came to life. "Ready?" she asked, glancing back at her companion.

Emily gave her a thumbs-up, and Lena turned her attention back to the controls, starting the jet down the runway. They picked up speed soon enough before Lena started the ascent, which Emily was obviously not prepared for judging by the surprised noise that came from her.

They soon reached their appropriate altitude, and Lena leveled the jet out, looking out at the Swiss Alps laid out below them. She hadn't realized how much she had missed this until now.

"Wow," came Emily's voice from behind her.

Lena grinned. "Pretty amazing, right?" The brunette continued forward, descending a bit closer to the snow covered mountains.

" _Lena, please tell me you're not flying_."

That was an unexpected voice. "Dr. Ziegler? Uhh…"

Angela's sigh came through loud and clear over the mic. " _You do realize you had to give up being a pilot for a reason, don't you? The G-forces created by your jet can damage your accelerator_."

"I'll be careful."

Another sigh came from the doctor. " _Yes, because I've never heard that before."_

* * *

Lena wasn't sure how upset Dr. Ziegler was with her, which was why she was more than a bit concerned when she received a message telling her to report to the command room after she and Emily finished their impromptu flight.

"Are you in trouble?" Emily asked.

"Not sure," Lena replied, a slight knot in her gut. "Hopefully I'll be back in one piece, and without a new arsehole." The brunette turned and left, blinking down the hallway and soon reaching the command room. Upon entering, her gaze fell on both Genji and Winston.

"Lena, you were called too?" Winston asked as she approached.

"Yeah, I was told to report here by Commander Morrison," Lena replied after giving Winston a hug. "Did he happen to say why he wanted us?"

Winston shook his head. "I would assume for a mission of sorts, but I don't know why he would send such a small team."

"Because he obviously knows a good team when he sees one," Genji said.

"I mean, I suppose you're not wrong," Lena said, grinning slightly. "After all, I've already been on one mission—"

"Okay, Oxton, don't get ahead of yourself," Genji said, giving her a slight push.

"Good, you're all here," Jack said, entering the room and closing the door behind him. He approached the table and brought up a few screens before he said, "We have received a call from our watchpoint in Numbani; apparently they are reporting some sort of disturbance."

Lena felt her heart skip a beat. Numbani. Vasha's home.

"Do they have any specifics on the disturbance?" Winston asked.

Jack shook his head. "Unfortunately not; all we know is that is has something to do with the prototypes of the city's protection robots. Once you arrive, you will be briefed on the specifics."

"Why are we being sent?" Genji asked, crossing his arms. "Don't they have agents of their own?"

"Their own agents are stretched thin, which is why we are helping them out."

"So you are preparing for a mission."

The four looked up to see Angela in the doorway, her arms crossed.

"Angela, don't start; this mission won't take them any longer than a few days. They'll be fine," Jack said.

"Really? You're going to stand here and say 'they'll be fine' when I am looking at both Lena and Genji?"

Winston let out an amused noise, which he quickly hid with a cough.

"We don't need a babysitter—" Genji started.

"You are still getting used to your cybernetics, and Lena, you're in my office every other day, not to mention the stunt you pulled today—"

"Hey, I haven't injured myself since I got back—"

"You honestly want to send them into the field without a medic?" Angela finished, looking back at Jack.

"They will be fine with Winston, and you are needed elsewhere," Jack said, giving the doctor a very pointed look.

Angela's lips pressed together tightly, but she merely said, "On your head be it if anything happens to them." She turned and left the room, though Lena was feeling rather unsettled with the whole exchange. Angela didn't usually act in such a hostile way.

"Wait, Dr. Ziegler!" Lena found herself calling as she got to her feet. She blinked out the door and easily caught up with the doctor, moving in front of her. "Is everything okay? I mean, you just seem upset—"

Angela let out a sigh, gently mussing Lena's hair. "I'm fine, Lena."

"… You didn't seem fine earlier, you were kind of acting like Commander Morrison queered your pitch."

Angela's brow furrowed. "What?"

Lena shook her head. "He didn't let you do what you wanted."

"He believes you all will be fine on your own, and perhaps I am just being overprotective—"

"Considering what happened in King's Row, I don't blame you."

Angela shook her head. "Overwatch is… troubled, and I just fear what the future holds." She offered Lena what she hoped was a smile. "Just be safe."

"Oh, you know me, always safe!"

* * *

"Emily? Emily, are you in here?" Lena paused as she looked around her room, though she didn't see any sign of the redhead. Sudden hands gripped her sides, and Lena let out a yelp, blinking forward and whipping around, which caused her to trip over her footlocker. The brunette hit the floor, looking up towards the doorway.

"Emily! You gave me a fright!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't think I would scare you that badly," Emily said, approaching her.

"I think I banged my elbow, and just after I told Dr. Ziegler I had managed to keep from hurting myself," Lena said as Emily helped her to her feet.

"Do you want me to kiss it for you?" the redhead asked with a slight grin.

Lena colored at that, and she scratched the back of her head, looking away. "N-no, it's fine…"

"So what was your important meeting about?"

"Oh, uh, we're being sent on a mission to Numbani."

"Numbani? Isn't that where Vasha lives?"

Lena nodded.

"Well that seems very convenient; I suspect foul play here."

"N-no, I didn't plan this—"

Emily grinned, and Lena knew then that she was being teased.

"You know, you're too good at that, you make me nervous," Lena said, giving Emily a nudge.

The redhead grinned again before she took Lena's hand gently. Lena stiffened for a moment before she relaxed, gently squeezing Emily's hand.

"But seriously though, maybe this will give you a chance to finally get things settled with her. You know, if you're not too busy saving the world."

Lena smiled slightly. "It'll probably just be a recon mission, no world-saving required."

* * *

"You seem distracted."

"Hmm?" Angela looked over at Fareeha, who was currently lying in bed beside her. "What, no…"

Fareeha made a face. "Yeah, now I'm convinced." The brunette shifted so that she was lying more on her stomach and facing the doctor. "What's on your mind?"

"It's nothing."

"Really, Angela?"

The blonde let out a sigh, shifting to face Fareeha and gently reaching up to cup her cheek. Fareeha let her hand come to rest on Angela's hip, trying to figure out what was going through the doctor's mind.

"You know I worry about all of you. Every time we head out into the field we take risks, and in your case, I don't even have the option to be present. Now with Lena and the others going off on their own…" Angela sighed, leaning forward and burying her face in Fareeha's neck. "Tell me I am just being overprotective."

"Well, as a doctor, you do have that tendency, though they are sending Lena and Genji with only Winston for supervision—"

"Not helping, Fareeha."

Fareeha let out a short laugh. "They're going to be fine, and they'll be back before you know it."

"And what about you?"

"What about me?"

Angela looked back up at Fareeha, an expression on her face that told the younger Amari she knew exactly what Angela meant.

"I stay safe," Fareeha protested.

"You take unnecessary risks that endanger both you and the people you serve with."

Fareeha made a face. "At the risk of sounding stupid, if you're so worried, why don't you just go with them?"

Angela looked away. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"I am otherwise… engaged."

Fareeha's brow furrowed; it wasn't like Angela to be this cagey. "Doing what?"

"I don't really want to discuss this."

"Angela, is something wrong, because if so, you know you can talk to me—"

"I have a meeting with someone."

That didn't really tell Fareeha much, and Angela was still being irritatingly vague. "Who?"

"A former associate, and that is all I wish to say on the matter." Angela rolled over, her back to Fareeha, and the brunette frowned slightly. She moved to wrap her arm around Angela's waist, holding the blonde closer and pressing gentle kisses to her neck.

"Hey… I didn't mean to upset you. You just seem agitated," Fareeha said gently in between kissing Angela's neck. "I'm not around as often as I'd like to be, so when I am here, I want to be able to help you if you need me."

Angela let out a sigh, not wanting to admit that Fareeha was slowly lowering her resolve. "I know, Fareeha." She gently took Fareeha's hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it before she intertwined their fingers.

"… Do you want me to accompany you to this mysterious meeting you won't tell me about?"

Angela smiled slightly despite herself. "Even if I say no, you're still planning on coming, aren't you?"

"Only because of the way you're acting; you're making me nervous, Angela." Fareeha leaned down to nuzzle the doctor's neck. "You spend all your time watching out for us, now let me watch out for you."

* * *

Angela let out a sigh as she looked at the building in front of her, one she had hoped to never set foot in. A part of her wasn't sure she could do this, but a much bigger part knew she had to.

" _Don't worry; I'm watching over you_."

Fareeha's voice came clear through her earpiece, and Angela smiled slightly, though that faded quickly. The blonde took a few moments to compose herself and count to ten before she entered, the door closing behind her.

"Hello, _dochtuir."_

The familiar voice cut through the darkness, and Angela forced herself to remain neutral as the redhead in front of her unfolded her tall figure from the chair.

"Shall we get down to business then?"


	24. Chapter 24

"Let's get this over with." Angela had no idea why Moira wanted to speak with her, but she couldn't imagine that it was for anything good. Considering the fact that Moira had been transferred (banished was more accurate) to Blackwatch for her… controversial research, Angela had good reason to be suspicious.

"Do you have someplace better to be?" Moira asked, smiling slightly.

"For your information, I do, so please tell me what is so important that you needed to talk to me in person."

There was the sudden sound of a brief scuffle, followed by Fareeha falling out of the rafters she'd been hiding in, crashing to the floor heavily. A tall figure landed quietly beside her, driving the butt of her rifle into Fareeha's stomach when the younger Amari tried to get up.

Angela drew her pistol, but the other woman had her rifle aimed at the doctor before she could even think to put her finger on the trigger.

"Angela, you should have told me you brought a friend," Moira said.

"You obviously were expecting such," Angela replied, not lowering her gun.

A tense silence passed between them, during which neither woman lowered their weapon. Angela's heart was racing, and she internally berated herself for putting Fareeha in danger this way.

"Widowmaker."

The other woman, Widowmaker apparently, paused a moment before she lowered her rifle, taking a few steps backwards to stand beside Moira.

"Now your weapon, Angela, it's only fair," the redhead said.

Angela slowly lowered her pistol before she holstered it. The sound of Fareeha groaning caught her attention, and she moved to help the younger Amari to her feet. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine… didn't even see her coming," Fareeha said, glaring at Widowmaker.

"That is what she is best at. Now, off with the helmet, let's see who you are," Moira said.

Fareeha paused, her gaze moving between Moira and Widowmaker.

"You can remove it yourself, or I can have Widowmaker assist you," Moira added.

Fareeha paused a moment longer before she removed the helmet of her rocket suit, fixing the redhead with a glare.

Moira let out a short laugh. "The younger Amari; I should have expected such." The redhead turned her attention to Angela before she added, "I see you've downgraded in the people you choose to associate with, both professionally and… personally."

Fareeha bristled at that, and growled, "How about you say that to me without your bodyguard around." She took a step towards Moira, but Widowmaker quickly stepped forward, the barrel of her rifle almost touching Fareeha's forehead.

"Easy, bird. I didn't realize you were in such a hurry to join your mother," Moira said.

Fareeha's brow furrowed for a moment before realization hit. Anger crossed her features, and she raised her rocket launcher.

"Fareeha, don't—" Angela said, knowing exactly how Fareeha would react.

"Back off Angela, she's the reason my mother is dead!"

"You should listen to the good doctor; Widowmaker can end you before your missile even reaches us," Moira said.

"Fine, we can all die then. I don't care if Angela is the only one who makes it out alive—"

"Fareeha, stop!" Angela moved in front of the younger Amari, putting a hand on her rocket launcher. "This is the behavior I was talking about."

"Why are you defending them?" Fareeha growled.

"I am not—"

"Then get out of the way!"

"No!"

Fareeha let out a frustrated growl, but lowered her rocket launcher.

"I see you didn't inherit Ana's patience," Moira said, looking decidedly unimpressed.

"Moira, enough," Angela said, turning to face the redhead. "Is this why you brought me down here, to admit some sort of involvement in Ana's death?"

"Widowmaker killed Captain Amari on her own; I had no hand in that, and I certainly did not expect you to bring the captain's daughter as backup. However, I can see that you are impatient, so I will say that Widowmaker is the reason I asked you here."

Angela looked at Widowmaker again, though she couldn't see the woman's eyes behind the visor she wore. "What about her?"

Moira smiled in that frustrating way that meant she knew something no one else did. Angela had grown to hate that smirk.

"I think they can see your face now," Moira said.

Widowmaker paused for a moment before she brought a hand up and pressed a button, causing the visor to retract upwards.

Now Angela knew why Moira had brought her out here, and her stomach knotted tightly.

"Amelie?"

"I'm surprised you remember Amelie, considering the fact that Overwatch wrote her off as dead after she disappeared," Moira said.

Angela shook her head, still having trouble believing what she was seeing. "Amelie, what happened to you?"

Widowmaker, Amelie, whoever she was, remained silent, just fixing the doctor with her cold stare.

"How kind of you to ask," Moira said. "I'm sure you recall her husband's tragic demise. Widowmaker unfortunately carried that crime out herself."

That was unexpected, and Angela looked back at Widowmaker in disbelief. "You killed Gerard?"

Widowmaker looked away, and for a brief moment, Angela could see a flash of recognition in the sniper's eyes.

"Her previous handler had no idea what they were doing; it was disgraceful, really. It would have been a crime for me not to step in. It took time, but eventually I managed to remove those painful memories from her head. Now she can function again."

"You… you did more than erase her memories. You suppressed her personality, you removed her ability to feel anything! You might as well have killed Amelie Lacroix!"

Moira set her jaw. "Amelie Lacroix was too broken to function; Widowmaker is not."

Angela shook her head; Moira had done questionable experiments in the past, but this… this was a new level.

"Think of the implications, Angela. We could erase painful memories, block traumatizing experiences—"

"What you've done to Amelie hasn't helped her; you've just created a mindless killer!"

Moira frowned. "I resent the term 'mindless'. Widowmaker is free to make her own decisions; she is not just a weapon."

Angela shook her head. "This is wrong, Moira."

"How is it any different than what you did to the younger Shimada, or that British brat, whatever her name is." Moira's tone was on edge now; this meeting was obviously not going the way she had envisioned.

"Lena Oxton," Widowmaker supplied, causing all three to look at her. It was the first time she had spoken during the encounter. Her French accent was the same, but there was a change to her voice, almost like a cold indifference.

"That isn't the same thing; we did what we had to save their lives!" Angela replied.

"Is that so, because I am taken to understand that what happened to Oxton was Overwatch's fault."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Fareeha spat.

"You haven't told her, Angela? And I thought you so despised keeping secrets. No matter, I will tell her myself."

"Moira—" Angela started; this was not something she wanted to get into.

"The reason Oxton has that accelerator is because your precious mother didn't tell her to eject when she had the chance," Moira said. "They all saw that Slipstream was destabilizing, and they chose that aircraft over Oxton's life."

Fareeha let out a low growl, itching to raise her rocket launcher again.

Angela, meanwhile, was looking at Moira in a manner of disbelief. "It wasn't a call they wanted to make; if they had known the real danger—"

"Oh, you think it would have ended differently? Naivety doesn't suit you, Doctor."

Angela set her jaw, but keeping her composure was becoming more and more difficult of a task. Moira still had an annoying habit of knowing exactly how to get under her skin. "And since when have you ever chosen human life over science, or any life for that matter?"

"Oh, don't misunderstand; in that situation, I would have made the same decision; we all must make sacrifices in the name of science. I am just trying to make this child see that Overwatch is not the bright and shining beacon she seems to believe it is."

"I've heard enough," Fareeha growled before she raised her rocket launcher again.

Moira sighed, shaking her head before looking back at Angela. "Now that you know about Widowmaker, I am sure you will be tempted to run back to Overwatch and tell them all about her and my involvement, but I would advise against such."

Angela crossed her arms. "I know you're not threatening me, Moira."

"Of course not. But, as I recall, when Overwatch first rescued Amelie Lacroix, you examined her, did you not? And you were the one who discharged her to Gerard's care."

"Are you trying to imply this is Angela's fault?" Fareeha said angrily. "You're the one who made this woman into a killer!"

"I don't expect you to understand, bird; unfortunately your brain isn't even half as large as your biceps."

Fareeha bristled at that, and her finger itched to fire a rocket, proximity be damned.

Moira fixed Angela with a cold look, her multi-colored eyes boring into the doctor's. "I trust we have an understanding then?"

Angela pressed her lips together tightly, choosing not to respond.

"Well, now that all this unpleasantness is over with, we will take our leave," Moira said.

"You honestly think I'm going to let you leave?" Fareeha growled.

"You don't have a choice."

Before Fareeha could react, Widowmaker raised an arm and shot some sort of mine at the brunette's feet. The glass broke, and a purple gas began to spew from it, causing Fareeha to begin coughing and forcing her to step back. By the time the gas began to clear, the two were gone.

* * *

"Lena, are you—oh, what are you wearing?"

Lena grinned, looking down at the bright orange leggings she was currently wearing. "Neat, yeah? Dr. Ziegler said I needed to be easier to see in the field 'cause I move so fast, so I got these!"

The brunette looked so proud that Emily could do little more than smile fondly (and she would be lying if she said she didn't like the way the leggings fit to Lena's athletic form). "You'll definitely stand out."

"Thanks!" A pause. "Did you need something, Em? The transport is going to leave soon."

"I just wanted to tell you to be safe, and I have something for you."

"Oh, you got me something?" Lena felt a slight panic surge through her. "I-I didn't get you anything—"

"You don't need to get me anything." Emily's face colored a bit before she held a brown jacket out to Lena. "Sorry I didn't have time to wrap it."

Lena took the jacket, noticing the familiar patch on the sleeve. "That's my pilot insignia!" She slipped the jacket on, zipping it up. "How do I look?"

Emily approached, fixing the collar of the jacket before she said, "Tidy."

Lena grinned. "Then I'll never take it off!"

Emily smiled again, her fingers ghosting over Lena's cheek. "Promise me you'll be safe?"

"Of course luv! It's just recon, nothing dangerous. I'll be back before you know it."

"Glad to hear it. It'll be… quiet without you."

Lena gave the redhead a look, and Emily laughed. God, Lena loved that sound.

"One picture before you go?" Emily asked, pulling out her phone.

"Sure!"

Emily put an arm around the brunette, holding her close as she raised her phone. The redhead suddenly pressed a kiss to Lena's cheek, causing the brunette to flush (but she certainly wasn't complaining).

"Perfect," Emily said, looking at the picture once they'd broken apart.

Lena managed to regain her voice and said, "Send me a copy, yeah?"

"Of course."

A silence passed between them, during which Lena wondered if she should say something more. Her feelings for Emily had certainly grown since their first encounter, to the point where now Lena began to wonder if she had more than just affection for the redhead.

Oh.

Oh no.

"I, uh… I better go before they leave without me," Lena said, the sudden realization about her feelings for Emily seeming too overwhelming. "Um… bye then." The brunette turned and blinked away, hitting the edge of the doorway and recoiling slightly. "Bollocks!"

"Are you okay—"

"I'm fine!"

* * *

"You charged your accelerator, right?"

"Of course, Winston," Lena replied as she followed him onto the transport.

"Nice leggings," Genji said as he passed by the two.

"Thanks!" The brunette turned back around, seeing Emily standing on the tarmac, waving goodbye. Lena paused for a moment, wondering if she should have said a better goodbye to the redhead. Before she could think twice about it, the brunette quickly blinked forward to where Emily was and kissed her, catching the redhead by surprise. Lena pulled away, giving Emily a crooked grin before she blinked back onto the transport just as the door began to close.

* * *

Lena was jerked rudely from her sleep by the transport shaking with a sudden impact, and she looked at her two companions, who had also been pulled from sleep.

"Anti-aircraft fire?" Lena asked.

Winston shook his head. "They know we're coming though; that wouldn't make any sense—"

The transport shook again, and this time, a red warning light began to flash.

"Oh, that's not good," Lena said.

"We have to prepare to evacuate, so grab a parachute and—"

Winston wasn't able to finish his sentence because at that moment, the transport was struck again, only this time whatever struck it was strong enough to rip it in two, and Lena suddenly found herself falling through open air.

With no parachute, Lena's mind raced, trying to figure out how she could survive this. Recalling would do her no good, but maybe she could blink safely to the ground? It was worth a try anyway.

Lena attempted to blink towards the ground, missed a bit, and ended up slightly bouncing off a protruding balcony. The brunette then hit the ground, and she let out a groan, her vision swimming.

A shadow fell over her, and Lena rolled onto her side, trying to focus on the tall figure standing over her.

"So this is Overwatch now? A child?" a deep voice said.

Lena felt a hand grasp the back of her jacket, and she was lifted off the ground, coming face-to-face with a dark-skinned man.

"Hey, asshole!"

The man dropped Lena as he jumped back just in time to avoid another figure who landed solidly.

"You planning on staying and fighting this time?" the newcomer said in a voice that was very familiar. Lena knew she could identify them if she could just focus through the fog in her head.

The man paused a moment before he reconsidered and fled, and the other person turned to face Lena. "Here I am, saving your ass again. Some things never change, huh?"

Lena's eyes widened as her brain finally made the connection. "Vasha?"

Vasha helped Lena to her feet before she said, "Thanks for letting me know you were still alive."

"Your legs! You're walking! You're alive!" Lena wasn't sure which aspect to focus on first, and she hugged Vasha tightly, feeling as though a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Vasha let out a short laugh as she hugged Lena back. "Did you think I was dead?"

"I didn't know what had happened to you!" Lena pulled away, noticing the machinery around Vasha's legs for the first time. "That's new."

"I could say the same thing about this," Vasha said, giving Lena's accelerator a gentle tap.

Lena's brain was going about a mile a minute, and her mouth couldn't seem to keep up with her thoughts. "What happened to you, you just disappeared and I couldn't get ahold of you, and I thought something bad had happened, and I saw you in King's Row—"

"Whoa, hey, slow down." Vasha shook her head, though she was smiling. "And I didn't think you could get any more energetic than you were at Watchpoint Gibraltar."

"Well, can you blame me; I haven't seen you in, what, three years?"

"Hey, you disappeared first." Vasha gave the brunette a look. "You want to explain that, by the way?"

Lena bit her bottom lip, rubbing the back of her head. "Umm, yeah, about that…"

"Let me guess; it's classified?"

Lena nodded. "Sorry…"

Silence.

"Tell me about your legs, yeah? Last time I saw you, you were in a wheelchair," Lena said, wanting answers.

Vasha smiled slightly. "Well, that's a success that I owe to my sister."

"Your younger sister? Isn't she only like… six years old now?"

"Six and way smarter than me. She developed this technology, and figured out how to wire it into my spine."

"So you trusted your legs to a child?"

Vasha gave Lena a look. "Hey it wasn't like she could do anything worse to them right? She knew what she was doing, as you can see for yourself." Vasha suddenly lifted the brunette off the ground, causing Lena to let out a surprised noise.

"H-hey!" Lena could feel her face growing hot as she looked down at Vasha, but something had changed. She was glad Vasha was alive, of course, and knowing what had happened certainly gave her closure, but now… she couldn't quite describe it, something wasn't the same.

"You're still cute when you're flustered," Vasha said.

Lena's flush darkened, and she cleared her throat before she said, "I need to find my team; we were separated when the transport was attacked."

That seemed to sober Vasha up, and she set Lena down with a nod. "Right, let's find your team, then you and I can catch up."


	25. Chapter 25

Finding the downed transport wasn't as difficult as Lena had feared; in addition to the black smoke cloud it had created, a crowd of people had gathered around the wreckage.

"All right, everyone back up please, for your own safety," Vasha said, her voice still commanding as much of a presence as it had during their pilot program.

"Still a squadron leader, yeah?" Lena said, smiling slightly as the crowd parted for the two.

"The six inches I have over you helps," Vasha replied.

"Really, you have to go there? I know I'm short, you don't have to keep pointing it out."

Vasha laughed, and the two reached the wreckage of the transport. "I don't see any signs of anyone being here," Vasha said as the two examined what remained of the transport. "No blood trails anyway."

"No bodies either." Lena worried her bottom lip before she added, "Hopefully that means they got out all right."

"Lena!"

The brunette turned at the voice, seeing Winston and Genji approaching.

"Hey, Oxton, you were supposed to grab a parachute," Genji said, though he hugged Lena in relief. "Trying to show us all up?"

"Trust me, I wouldn't recommend an air evac without a parachute. Got banged up pretty good." Lena was relieved to see that her teammates were all right, and once they'd broken apart, she added, "Vasha, these are my teammates, Winston and Genji."

"Ah, this is the Vasha you mentioned before," Winston said, looking at the taller woman.

"Been talking about me I see," Vasha teased, nudging Lena with her elbow. Before the brunette could reply, Vasha offered her hand to the two other Overwatch agents. "Well, I apologize for the less than friendly welcome you received. Numbani isn't usually like this, so we're very grateful that you're here to help."

* * *

"Have you told Commander Morrison about Moira yet?"

Angela pressed her lips together tightly; Fareeha was not going to let this matter drop. "No—"

"But you are going to, aren't you?"

The blonde sighed, her shoulders dropping. "Fareeha—"

"We know who killed my mother, and that mad scientist admitted to having a hand in it! That sniper, whatever the hell she is, she needs to pay for what she's done!"

"Moira was a well respected geneticist, and she is brilliant! She just… has questionable ethics and morals."

Fareeha shook her head and crossed her arms. "Why are you sticking up for her? It's like you two used to have some kind of history together."

Angela didn't respond to that; she had hoped that part of her past could remain buried. Her silence did not go over well with her companion.

"Oh my god, did you date her?"

"You don't have to sound so disgusted—"

"How could you even like her, she's crazy!"

"She wasn't always like this!" Angela didn't know exactly why she defended Moira like this, or whether it was for her own sake or the geneticist's. "She was ambitious, and we both wanted to better humanity. We just… we had varying ideas of how to go about achieving that goal, and we drifted apart."

Fareeha didn't look convinced, and Angela didn't entirely appreciate the judgment coming from the younger Amari.

"Fareeha, I had a history before we were together, but that doesn't mean I care any less for you."

Fareeha shook her head, and Angela could sense that she was fighting tears.  
"Why does she natter more to you than my mother?"

That tugged at Angela's heart, and she made to gently cup Fareeha's cheek, but the younger Amari moved away. "I am not saying that she matters more, and of course I want justice for Ana—"

"Then why are you remaining silent? There is something not right going on here. We thought the sniper that killed my mother was a Talon agent, but now we know for sure who it was. Moira works for Blackwatch, and she has admitted to having a hand in Widowmaker's creation. It's possible there is more about this woman that you don't know."

Now Angela really didn't like the turn this conversation has taken, or the dark implications it carried. "What are you suggesting?"

Fareeha's gaze was hard. "You know exactly what."

"No. Moira is not working for Talon—"

"And you know that for sure? You honestly trust her enough to say that she would never betray us?"

Angela honestly couldn't, but that was not something she wanted to admit out loud. That would make it far too real, and that would mean it was the truth, and that would just be far too painful. The blonde decided that it was better for all their sakes if she just avoided the question, and instead changed the subject.

"Look, in any case, what happened to Ana isn't Amelie's fault, not entirely. If I had seen the warning signs after we brought her back, if I just kept her under observation longer—"

"Angela, don't tell me you are buying into the guilt Moira tried to place on you. There was no way you could have foreseen what would happen, or what Amelie would do."

"But I'm a doctor; it's my job to notice when something is wrong, and I—" Angela couldn't finish; she couldn't bring herself to admit out loud that she had failed. She had failed Amelie Lacroix, who had in turn been failed by Overwatch. And she was failing Fareeha now by choosing to defend a woman she had once cared for. The blonde covered her face with her hands, doing her best to will away the tears forming in her eyes.

Strong arms were suddenly wrapped around her, and she was enveloped by the scent of oil and some type of spice (cinnamon maybe?).

"You did your best," Fareeha said, her voice uncharacteristically soft.

Angela curled her fingers against Fareeha's shirt, holding herself closer to the younger Amari.

 _I wish that were the truth._

* * *

Vasha set a glass of some liquid in front of the brunette before she sat beside her, letting out a sigh. Lena wondered how much pain Vasha was in even with the machinery to help her walk, and the old guilt once again rose up.

"So, now that neither of us is any immediate danger, let's figure out what's been happening these past three years," Vasha said.

Lena looked down into her drink, pausing a moment before she said, "I am sorry for just disappearing… it wasn't my intention."

"Does your disappearing have anything to do with that contraption in your chest?"

Lena nodded. "Winston built this; my accelerator keeps me anchored to the present. Without it… I don't really know how to explain it, I sort of… bounce between timelines."

Vasha arched an eyebrow before she let out a short laugh. "You always had to outdo me, didn't you? I become squadron leader, so you get the highest marks in our class. My legs become paralyzed, so you do something that keeps you from staying in this time period."

Lena gave her a look. "I didn't ask for this you know, and I lost months of my life! When I finally returned, Captain Amari was—" Lena stopped short, surprised at how much it still stung to talk about the fallen captain. She had thought that old wound had healed.

Vasha's expression softened at that. "Yeah, I heard about what happened to Captain Amari. I'm really sorry Lena, I know she meant a lot to you."

"She took me in when I had no one… gave me a family, a purpose… and I didn't even get to say goodbye." Lena's eyes filled with tears, and she clutched the glass, trying to will them away.

"Hey, she would be proud of you," Vasha said, putting a hand on Lena's arm gently. "After what you did in King's Row, who wouldn't be?"

Lena sniffled a few times, trying to regain her composure so she could find her voice. "You know about that?"

"Lena, the Omnic Uprising in King's Row was international news, and by the time we realized Overwatch had intervened, your team already had the situation in hand."

"So, wait… if you knew I was in King's Row, why didn't you contact me? Every time I tried to get a hold of you, it said your device was disconnected or something."

"Yeaaahhhh, I might have… gone off the grid for a bit." It was Vasha's turn to look into her drink now, and Lena's brow furrowed.

"So you intentionally disappeared?"

Vasha shrugged. "When I returned home, my family was… different. They treated me different. It was as if they were afraid I was too delicate to handle anything, and that I might break at any time. I hated it; I hated being treated that way. It was hard enough accepting that I would most likely be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life; their treatment only made it worse. One day I decided I'd had enough, so I decided to leave and go off on my own."

"So you just decided to cut off contact with everyone? What about your sister?"

Vasha smiled slightly. "She would not let me leave on my own; she was convinced she could 'fix my legs'. Our family didn't want her to leave, so when I left… she snuck away with me. Didn't even realize she was there until I was on bus." Vasha let out a short laugh and took a sip from her drink. "I just… I needed time to myself, and I had to learn how to cope with what had happened. It wasn't anything personal, I just… I wasn't in a good place, and I didn't want to drag you down with me."

Lena nodded, still trying to process it all. She had been feeling guilty this whole time, thinking she had been doing something to betray Vasha, but in reality, Vasha was the one who had made the decision to break things off, such as it was.

Lena's phone suddenly chirped at her, and the brunette patted herself down, trying to remember where she'd stashed it. She soon pulled it from her jacket pocket, surprised to see that it hadn't suffered any damage from the fall. She felt her heart skip a beat upon seeing that it was a text from Emily; more specifically, it was the selfie they had taken before Lena had left, along with the caption "Stay safe so we can take more of these :)".

"Oh, who is this?" Vasha said, taking the phone from the brunette.

"H-hey!" Lena made to take it back, but just as she had done in their youth, Vasha straight-armed the brunette, keeping her back.

"She's cute," Vasha continued. "What's her name?"

"Emily, now come on Vasha!"

Vasha grinned, handing the phone back to Lena. "How long have you two been together?"

"We're not together—I mean, we're not dating exactly—"

"Have you had sex?"

"No!" Lena turned bright red at that, causing Vasha to laugh.

"All right, easy, I'm just teasing you."

Lena looked back down at her phone, feeling an odd ache in her heart as she looked at the picture of Emily. It was an unfamiliar feeling, and she wasn't sure entirely what it meant.

"So what's her story?" Vasha asked.

"We met in King's Row, when I was stationed at the watchpoint there. She was studying law, and the day the watchpoint was attacked…"

" _Get down!"_

 _The sound of bullets piercing through glass, the whump of bodies hitting the floor—_

"Lena?"

Vasha's voice pulled her from the memory, and the brunette could see that she was wearing a concerned expression.

"She came back to the Switzerland HQ with me when I pulled from King's Row," Lena concluded.

Vasha's eyebrows rose at that. "She left King's Row to go with you?" She shook her head before she added, "Shit Lena, you need to ask her out before someone else does."

"What?"

"She left her home to be with you; what the fuck are you waiting for?"

"No, it wasn't because of me; she came to work for Overwatch—"

"Lena, are you serious right now?"

What Vasha was saying… it was something Lena had considered, but she hadn't dared to really believe that she was the reason Emily had been willing to leave King's Row. That would mean admitting to these feelings she had for the redhead, and that would mean admitting that she might actually be in—

Oh no. That panicky feeling was building in her chest again, making her heart beat against her ribcage. It was almost as alarming as the way she was beginning to feel in her trousers, the way she had been feeling recently whenever she so much as thought about Emily.

"You do like her, don't you?"

Lena forced herself from her thoughts as she looked back at Vasha, who looked more curious than anything. "I… I have feelings for her, I think, but…" Lena was unable to finish; now that she was face-to-face with Vasha again, it seemed too difficult to say the truth out loud.

"But what? This better be a hell of an excuse."

"But you and I—it's not like I was trying to replace you—"

Vasha put a hand over the brunette's, giving her a look. "Lena, listen to me: I was the one who stopped contact. I didn't expect you to wait for me; that would have been entirely unfair, asking you to put your life on hold because of my issues. You obviously like this girl, so why are you torturing yourself?"

"I just… I wasn't sure how I felt…"

Vasha rolled her eyes. "Once again, I have to explain the obvious to you. You had a crush on me, but this Emily… whatever you feel for her is so much stronger."

* * *

Even at night, Numbani was considerably warmer than Switzerland, and as Lena stood outside on the balcony of their room at the watchpoint, she almost didn't need her jacket. The brunette let out a sigh as she leaned against the railing, looking out across the lit city. Her conversation with Vasha earlier still hung in her mind; she had finally gotten the closure she craved, but it occurred to her that she had never considered once she would do afterwards.

Lena looked down at her phone, pulling up the picture of her and Emily again. The brunette worried her bottom lip for a few moments before she pulled up her contacts, selecting Emily's name and raising the phone to her ear.

"I hope you're staying out of trouble."

Lena smiled slightly at Emily's voice, looking down at the sleeve of her jacket. "Always, luv."

Emily laughed before she said, "What's up? How's Numbani?"

"It's… warm." Lena paused, unsure of how to voice the real reason she'd called.

"Is that all?"

"I found Vasha; she's alive."

"That's good news, right? You've been worried about her."

"Yeah…"

Emily seemed to notice the change in her tone. "What's wrong?"

"Emily, I… we…" Lena couldn't seem to summon the courage, and her voice failed her more than once.

"Lena, I understand if there is still… something between you two. I know you never really felt like it had ended—"

"I love you!" That came out very differently than she intended, both in volume and delivery. Lena hadn't intended to yell it at Emily, but the conversation had taken a turn that she didn't want it to. She didn't want Emily to believe that things between them were over; the thought of losing the redhead had scared her more than she anticipated.

Emily was silent, and Lena feared she had upset her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to shout at you—"

"What do you mean, you love me?" Emily's voice was softer than usual, and she sounded like she was choosing her words carefully. "Do you mean like 'Hey there's Emily, I sure love that girl', or do you mean that you 'love me' love me?"

"Well, I mean, both, really..."

Emily was silent again.

"I'm sorry, I know this probably isn't the right time or way to do this, but I just wanted you to know, and I needed to say it out loud because I have all these bloody feelings just building in my chest and sometimes I feel like I'm going to explode—"

"I love you too."

That stopped Lena cold. "… You do? Even though I'm a huge mess and run into doorframes and fall up stairs—"

"Yes, Lena, I do."

"… Oh." Lena was too shocked to say much else.

"Listen, I have to go, Dr. Ziegler is giving me a look which means she needs me for something, but I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"O-okay, yeah! Tomorrow!" Now that the initial shock was wearing off, Lena was beginning to feel very giddy, almost as if every part of her being was vibrating in excitement. "Good night, Em, sleep well yeah?"

"I'll sleep better when you come home safely."

The two hung up, and Lena paused for a few moments before she jumped and pumped her fist into the air. "YEAH!" The brunette turned and ran back inside the room, practically shouting, "SHE LOVES ME! WINSTON, GENJI, I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!"

The two agents exchanged a look before Winston sighed, "Great, now she's going to be impossible to put to bed."


	26. Chapter 26

The sound of a bugle playing a familiar tune drifted into Lena's dream, pulling the brunette out slightly.

"Wake up!"

Lena let out a surprised yelp, rolling out of bed and hitting the floor. She quickly scrambled to her feet and moved into a salute position, her gaze falling on a grinning Vasha, a phone in her hand. She realized then what her companion had done, and she gave her a look.

"Oh, very funny Vasha," the brunette said, giving her friend a shove.

Vasha laughed, putting her phone away before she said, "Come on, breakfast is ready."

"Hold on, let me get dressed." Lena went to where she'd set her jacket down last night, slipping it on and doing up the zipper. She slipped on her socks and shoes before she picked up her accelerator, strapping it on her chest.

"You want to brush your hair too?" Vasha asked from where she was leaning against the doorframe, watching.

Lena glanced upwards, blowing a spike out of her eyes. "What's wrong with my hair?"

Vasha smiled slightly. "Nothing; still haven't managed to tame it, huh?"

Lena gave her a look, and Vasha laughed again.

"Come on."

* * *

"The problem is basically this: we've been testing some new prototypes for defense robots, but they keep showing up destroyed. None of the machinery is missing, so it's not someone harvesting them for parts, but it's still troubling."

"The craters in the walls and the ground are troubling as well," Winston said.

"Yeah, you would think something that could create that kind of force would be easy to find, and yet we have no idea who or what is behind this," Vasha said with a frown. Lena could tell that her friend was more troubled than she would let on.

"How can we help?" Lena asked.

"We're going to send out three new prototypes, and you can each monitor one from a hidden location. With any luck, one of you will at least see the culprit," Vasha replied.

"You do not want us to engage?" Genji asked, sounding slightly disappointed.

Vasha shook her head. "Not until we know what we're up against; I don't want to go into this blind and end up with someone getting injured."

Lena smiled slightly; she may not be a pilot anymore, but Vasha was still a squadron leader; always aware of her team and putting their safety above everything else.

* * *

"Oi, how's your site looking big guy?"

A pause before Winston replied, " _Nothing has changed since you asked five minutes ago, Lena."_

"I'm just checking," the brunette said.

" _You were so not made for recon missions_ ," Vasha said with a laugh.

Lena scowled. "I'm not that impatient."

" _It's only been an hour and you're already restless_."

"You can't even see me—"

" _Trust me, I know."_

Lena made a face, but didn't respond to that. It was true, she wasn't a huge fan of just sitting and waiting; that was more of a sniper's job. She hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary yet, and for Numbani's sake, she hoped that would change. The brunette let out a sigh, shifting her position and stretching her cramping legs.

There was the sudden sound of crunching metal, and Lena straightened up, putting a hand to her ear. "Who is that, is everyone okay?"

" _I have eyes on the suspect; I am in pursuit_!" came Genji's reply.

" _Wait!"_ Vasha said.

" _He won't stop_ ," Winston said with a sigh. " _Let's converge on his position."_

"Aye aye."

* * *

She had been careless. Lena had thought that constantly blinking would give her an advantage over Doomfist; after all, it had worked so far. Her pulse pistols didn't seem to be doing much to faze him, but she just had to wear him down over time.

When she felt herself being stopped mid-blink, Lena knew this could only end badly. There was the sound of metal being crushed, and Lena realized too late what had happened.

 _No, not again!_

Her mind raced, and her thoughts tumbled over each other as she felt herself beginning to be ripped from this timeline.

 _I told Emily I would come back; please, I can't just leave her!_

She desperately blinked towards Winston, reaching a hand out to him, hoping against hope that he could somehow save her.

 _Please, I can't go through this again, I can't—_

* * *

"I'm sorry, how many windows did you say were damaged?" Emily shuffled through a few papers. "Okay, well I don't think she would have been able to go through that many windows." The redhead paused. "Because I know how large she is and how physics works. I can believe two windows, but not five."

There was a knock at the door, and Emily looked up to see Angela standing in the doorway.

"Oh, you've changed your mind now? Well, if you need to contact our insurance department again, you have my number." Emily hung up before she let out a sigh. "Can you do me a favor and tell your agents to stop breaking windows?"

"I can certainly try," Angela replied with a slight smile. "This might cheer you up though: the team is back from Numbani."

Emily perked up at that. That meant Lena was back; after their impromptu admission of their feelings, the redhead had been all too ready for Lena to return. She just wanted to hold the agent close and bury her face in that ridiculously spiky hair. Well, that and kissing. Hopefully lots of kissing.

"No news on how many windows they broke though," Angela added, pulling Emily from her thoughts.

Emily gave her a look, though she was smiling. She stood and followed the doctor from the room, heading down the hallway to the main room. As they made their way down the staircase, Emily could see the front doors opening. Her excitement quickly faded when she realized there were only two of them, and they both seemed to be in bad shape.

Upon realizing that Lena was not one of the two, Emily's stomach clenched painfully tight.

"What happened?" Angela asked, her tone sounding as concerned as Emily felt as she approached the two. "Where's Lena?"

Winston let out a sigh, and Emily was afraid of the answer. It was just supposed to be recon, Lena should have been fine—

"Her accelerator was… damaged. She's between timelines again," Winston replied, producing the other half of the destroyed accelerator.

"She's gone?" Emily said, her voice shaking. This couldn't be happening; it had to be some sort of prank. Any second now, Lena had to jump out from behind something with that crooked grin of hers.

"This has happened before, and we brought her back," Angela said, turning her attention to Emily. She could tell that the redhead had already jumped to the worst-case scenario, and she wanted to derail that train of thought as soon as possible. "This time we know what the problem is, and we should be able to bring her back quicker."

"How long will that take?" Emily asked.

Angela looked back at Winston, who sighed. "I suppose I could build a new accelerator in about a week?"

"And where is she for that week? Just gone? Being ripped through time?" It sounded only marginally better than Lena being dead, and she couldn't imagine what the brunette was going through.

"She is blinking between timelines, yes; without an anchor to the present, there's no way to know where or when she is," Winston replied.

"Then how do you expect to get her here?"

"We have a chamber that can contain her when she shows up here again," Winston said.

"So basically we're helpless; we just have to sit here and wait and hope she shows up." Emily's tone was hollow, and a sort of numbness was beginning to take over.

"Emily—"

"Just show me where this tank is; I want to make sure I'm there when Lena finally shows up."

* * *

Emily didn't know how long she had been waiting beside the tank; she had lost track of time after the first day and a half. There was little she could do other than hope and pray that Lena would show up. She kept telling herself "any minute now she'll appear", hoping that if she said it enough, it would come true.

It hadn't worked yet, but hope springs eternal.

Emily must have fallen asleep because the next time she woke up, she realized she was lying on the floor, and a blanket had been draped over her.

"She's finally sleeping?" That was Dr. Ziegler's voice, and Emily chose to remain still, feigning sleep as she listened.

"Yes; she refuses to leave," Winston replied.

Angela let out a sigh. "I'm worried about both of them. Emily barely eats, and Lena still hasn't shown up…" There was a long pause before Angela asked in a hushed voice, "Winston… why isn't it working? When you first built this chamber, she appeared shortly afterwards, but it's been three days now…"

Winston's reply sounded troubled. "I don't know; the chamber should be holding her. Perhaps a second trip through timelines has had more of an effect on her this time. Who knows where or when she is, or if she can even find her way back."

Emily felt her heart clench tightly. Everyone seemed to be avoiding that subject, especially around the redhead, but apparently they were all afraid of what could be a very possible reality.

Lena might be gone for good.

The thought was terrifying enough that she had to choke back a sob. If they couldn't bring Lena back… if she was trapped between timelines forever…

 _No. I can't let that happen._

Emily waited until she heard Angela's retreating footsteps before she sat up, glancing towards Winston. The scientist was currently engrossed in his work, and Emily quietly got to her feet, making her way out of the workshop. She made her way through the darkened headquarters, eventually reaching Lena's room. The redhead sat on the bed, hugging one of the pillows and inhaling Lena's scent, which brought tears to her eyes. She had to do something; she couldn't just sit and wait for a solution. Lena needed her now.

Emily pulled out her phone, pausing a moment as she considered what she was about to do.

 _I have to. For Lena._

Emily dialed before raising the phone to her ear, hearing it ring. It was possible her aunt wouldn't even pick up; after all, Emily had basically denied their relationship.

"Well, this is a surprise. You must need something."

Her aunt's cool, serrated voice was almost enough to make Emily hang up, but she resisted the temptation, instead saying, "You and I both know I wouldn't be calling unless I was desperate, so let's skip the part where you humiliate me."

"What is it that you need?"

Emily paused, trying to best decide how to describe the situation. "Lena disappeared… she's jumping through timelines or something."

"Oh?"

"Look, I don't fully understand it, but you're into science and you have access to resources, so maybe—"

"Maybe what? You think I can just bring your girlfriend back?"

Emily should have known this was a mistake. "I don't know; I love her and I just want her back!"

"Ugh, don't bring love into this." Her aunt was silent for a few long moments before she said, "Do you have anything that can assist me? Files or hardware perhaps; I need to know what I'm working with."

Emily paused at that. "So… you're actually agreeing to help me?"

"I can't guarantee that I'll be able to get results, so don't get your hopes up, but yes, I will at least give it consideration. Now, am I working from scratch, or do you have material for me?"

Emily thought for a moment before she recalled that Winston had brought back half of Lena's destroyed accelerator. She knew that technically, that hardware belonged to Overwatch, but if her aunt could help… if she could find a way to bring Lena back… they would understand, right?

"I can get some hardware to you; it was damaged during a fight though, which is the whole reason Lena is gone."

"I'm sure I will make do."

* * *

Moira smiled slightly as she hung up. Of course she knew about the Oxton brat's condition; the only known case of chronal dissociation in history. Her current position in Blackwatch hadn't allowed her as much time to research it as she wanted, not to mention that the only way to really study it was to have the Brit present. Still, having access to the technology used to anchor her to the present was nothing to turn her nose up at (and Moira was known to turn her nose up at quite a lot).

Still, she knew her niece wouldn't appreciate Moira keeping Oxton for study; the geneticist would have to conduct that part quickly. Overwatch seemed quite fond of their time-jumping agent, and Moira wanted to avoid another confrontation with a certain blonde doctor.

* * *

Emily knew she shouldn't be doing this. Overwatch had trusted her, and now she was taking something from them.

 _It's not stealing; you're just borrowing it to bring Lena back._

Emily had a feeling that once she gave the accelerator to her aunt, there would be little chance of getting it back. Still, desperate time and desperate measure, right? The end would justify the means.

The redhead made sure the lab was empty before she made her way to the workbench, her gaze falling on the destroyed accelerator. Emily picked it up, fighting back a sudden surge of tears.

 _I'll do whatever it takes to bring her back._

Emily quickly slipped the accelerator into her backpack, zipping it closed and leaving the lab.

 _Just hold on a little longer, Lena._

* * *

"You're late."

Emily made a face as she entered the apartment, closing the door behind her. "How can I be late, you never specified a time."

"You delayed longer than necessary." Moira settled herself in a leather chair, fixing her niece with a pointed look.

"Nice to see you haven't changed." Emily stood opposite her aunt; sitting felt too vulnerable at the moment.

"And you're still wearing your contacts I see." Moira paused a moment before she added, "Do you have the hardware or not? My time is valuable, and I am already missing enough work to have this meeting with you."

"So glad you could fit me into your busy schedule," Emily all but spat. She tossed her backpack at her aunt, who caught it clumsily.

"Emily—"

"It's already broken."

"That doesn't mean you need to damage it further." Moira unzipped the bag and pulled the destroyed accelerator out. "Fascinating."

A part of Emily was still telling her that this was wrong, that shouldn't be handing this technology over to her aunt. While Moira was brilliant, her ethics were questionable at best. "If you do manage to bring her back… you're not going to do anything to her, are you?"

Moira looked back at Emily, arching an eyebrow. "What is it you're afraid I'll do?"

"I don't know, just… look, Lena means a lot to me."

"So you said on the phone." Moira made a face of disgust. "You _love_ her. A British woman."

"Where she's from doesn't matter—"

"But British, Emily? You're only one step above an American."

"Just leave her alone if you bring her back, please? She's been through enough."

Moira pressed her lips together, forming a thin line before she said, "I had no intention of doing anything to her, but if it puts your mind at ease and keeps you off my back, then I'll say it out loud: if I manage to bring her back to this timeline, I will refrain from 'experimenting' on her, which is what you are apparently afraid of."

"Thank you." Emily could only hope that her aunt would be true to her word.


	27. Chapter 27

No one seemed to notice Emily's absence as she made her way back into Overwatch HQ; not that she was really surprised by such. She wasn't really an official member, and the only reason she had joined was currently being ripped through timelines.

Emily took a deep breath, gripping her backpack strap as she started making her back towards Winston's lab. What was done was done now; all she could do was keep pushing forward and hope that between Winston and Moira, someone would bring Lena back.

"Oh Emily, are you feeling better?"

The redhead paused at Angela's voice, turning to face the doctor. "Yes, I… just needed some air."

Angela nodded before she approached. "Yes, fresh air and exercise can help a troubled mind. Have you been eating?"

Emily made a noncommittal noise.

"I know what that means. Go, put some food in your stomach."

Emily paused for a moment before she turned and headed for the kitchen; if she had fooled Dr. Ziegler then she wouldn't have to worry about anyone else.

* * *

"Emily lied to me."

"Emily—oh, Lena's girlfriend?" Fareeha's brow furrowed. "Why does it matter?"

Angela gave the younger Amari a pointed look. "You know how I feel about being lied to."

Fareeha put her hands up in defense. "Hey, you already punished me for that, and I told you it wouldn't happen again." A pause. "Why would she lie?"

"Unsure at the moment, but I intend to find out."

Fareeha let out a noise of affirmation. "Hey, speaking of Lena… is she back yet?"

The slightly sad yet hopeful tone tugged at Angela's heart, and she worried her bottom lip. "Not yet…"

"It's been four days—"

"I know how long it's been!" Angela knew there was no reason to snap at Fareeha, but she couldn't help it. Her recent conversation with Moira coupled with the botched mission in Numbani had frayed her nerves quite sufficiently. "Overwatch seems to be riddled with problems lately…"

"We're just going through a rough patch."

Angela knew why Fareeha was quick to defend the organization. She still wanted to join Overwatch's ranks, and with her current appointment to Security Chief in the army, the younger Amari was close to achieving her goal.

"Listen, I have to go, but hang in there, okay? Things will start looking up," Fareeha said, offering the blonde a smile.

Angela nodded, though she didn't entirely believe that.

"Hey, Angela?"

"Hmm?"

Fareeha paused, and she seemed to be struggling with her words. "I… I love you, and I want you to know that."

Angela paused, wondering where this sudden admission had come from. They had been together for some time now, yes, but they had never said that.

"I just… if something happens to me, I don't want to go without you having heard it out loud," Fareeha continued, obviously having trouble looking at the doctor. "I never got to say it to my mother before she… you know…"

"Don't tell me you're comparing me to your mother—"

"That isn't what I meant!" Fareeha's face had gone a bit darker in her flustered state. "I just meant that I love you, and if something happens to me, I want that to be the last thing I say to you."

Angela had a feeling this was more than just a whim; the thought of mortality was one people did not like to dwell on. Being a doctor, Angela was very familiar with it, and she could imagine that Fareeha was becoming more exposed to such during her time in the army. But with Ana's unexpected death, and Lena's second disappearance… Angela could understand why it might weigh more heavily on Fareeha's mind now.

"I love you too, Fareeha," Angela found herself saying before she could really think about it. She hadn't given it terribly much thought before, but she knew it was true; she did love the younger Amari. However, saying the words aloud almost felt like tempting fate because now she was well and truly committed to her feelings. "Just make sure you come home safe."

* * *

Emily didn't enjoy lying; she was not built like her aunt, who seemed to find deceiving people as easy as breathing. Still, she had a feeling that if the others found out what she had done, they would have few qualms with throwing her out. After all, with Lena gone, she would have to defend herself.

"Has Lena shown up yet?" the redhead asked as she entered Winston's lab.

The scientist shook his head. "Not yet, but the new accelerator is almost finished. Hopefully turning it on will bring Lena back, just as before."

Emily's gaze flashed towards the workbench where the broken accelerator had been; if Winston had noticed its absence, he had yet to say anything. The redhead made her way back over to the containment chamber, pressing her hand against the glass gently.

"Lena… please come back…" she said softly, her forehead coming to rest against the glass.

"… Emily…"

The redhead froze, unsure if she had really heard what she thought. She slowly looked up, her eyes widening upon seeing the flickering form of her girlfriend.

"Lena!" Emily pressed her hand harder against the glass as if she could reach Lena that way.

"Em… where are you…?" Emily could see the fear and desperation in Lena's eyes as she looked around.

"I'm here, Lena, right here."

"Emily?"

Winston had approached by now, his brow furrowed.

"What's wrong, why can't she see us?" Emily asked.

Winston shook his head. "She may be having trouble finding her way back."

Lena began to disappear again, and Emily's stomach clenched tightly.

"Lena! Lena, come back!" Emily pounded against the glass in desperation, but Lena had disappeared. "Lena, please don't go somewhere I can't follow."

* * *

"Did you manage to make any progress?"

"Are you serious? It has been one day, Emily; surely you did not expect me to bring your girlfriend back in a single day."

"You're supposed to be this great scientist—"

"I am a geneticist working with unfamiliar technology, and I am doing this as a favor for you."

"Don't pretend like this is all for me; you have your own motives."

Moira sighed. "If you want my help, you cannot continually pester me. I will let you know once I have something."

"Make sure you do." Emily hung up and let out a sigh, looking in the mirror. One red eye and one blue eye stared back at her; a trait she and her aunt shared. An O'Deorain family trait, just like her red hair, though her contacts kept her heterochromia a secret. The redhead exited the bathroom, shutting the light off as she went.

"I know you lied to me."

Emily stopped upon seeing Angela sitting on the bed. "Dr. Ziegler—"

"Don't try to deny it." Angela got to her feet, her gaze falling on Emily's eyes. She would know those eyes anywhere. "Where were you?"

"Just out—"

"Do you know Moira O'Deorain?"

Emily's heart stopped. Her contacts. Her eyes. If Angela knew her aunt… "I… she's my aunt." There was no use lying anymore.

Sometimes Angela forgot that Moira had family; the geneticist often gave the impression that she had simply sprung into being, all 6'5" of her. Somehow it seemed fitting that her niece had managed to find her way to Overwatch, the place where her aunt worked.

"I'll ask you again, and this time, I expect the truth: where were you this morning?" Angela found herself almost afraid of the answer.

Emily looked down, finding it too difficult to look at the doctor. "I went to see my aunt… I gave her Lena's broken accelerator." Angela was going to find out the truth anyway; it was better to come clean now and take whatever punishment she deserved.

Moira had their technology. The woman who had stolen her nanotechnology now had access to the device that kept Lena anchored to the present. There was a reason Moira had been transferred to Blackwatch, and now…

"That technology was not yours to take or give away," Angela said, her voice slow and deliberate as she fought to keep her composure. "Especially not to a member of Blackwatch."

Emily's brow furrowed. "Blackwatch? What is that?"

She didn't know. She didn't know what Moira really did, and Angela didn't know if that made the situation better or worse. "It doesn't matter—"

"Do you know something about my aunt that I don't?"

"That isn't up for discussion—"

"But you obviously know something—"

"Your aunt was sent to Blackwatch because of her questionable ethics, now tell me why you did this!" Angela realized she had seized Emily by her shoulders and was about two seconds away from shaking her. Deep down, she knew why; desperation could push people far.

The redhead had tears brimming in her eyes, and she opened her mouth, though no words came out. Angela could feel some of her anger dissipating as she looked at the redhead in front of her; this wasn't some young version of Moira, or a pawn for the geneticist. This was a scared child.

Finally, Emily seemed to find her voice again, and that voice broke the doctor's heart as she replied, "I just want Lena back."

* * *

Moira let out a growl, yanking her hand away as the accelerator shocked her yet again. She had hooked it up to her computer for analysis (and hopefully to give it some sort of power), but it had proven difficult thus far.

The geneticist's phone began to ring, and she let out another growl, not looking at the caller ID before she picked up. "I told you to stop pestering me, Emily; you cannot rush science—"

"I know what you two have been up to."

That was not a voice Moira had been expecting, and a slight grin spread across her face. "Hello, Doctor."

"Do not try and lie to me, Moira; I know what Emily did. I never expected you to use your own niece that way."

"I did not use her; she came to me, practically begging for my help. It was rather annoying, really, all her professions of love—"

"Yes, I know how annoying you find things like emotions." There was a pause, and Moira could imagine that the blonde was attempting to compose herself. "You know that technology is not for your use."

Moira scowled. "I may be with Blackwatch, but I am still Overwatch—"

"There is a reason you are with Blackwatch, and you know exactly why."

"You know, Doctor, you should be grateful that I am working as hard as you to bring the Oxton brat back."

"You only want Lena for research! She has value as human being, Moira!"

"Her value comes from her condition, and Overwatch would keep that knowledge secret, just as you do with your nanotechnology."

"Is that why you stole it?" Angela's tone had gone icy. "You felt entitled to my research, to my developments?"

Moira let out a low growl. "That research was partially mine; we worked on it together—"

"Towards the end, yes, but nanotechnology was my thesis, my work. I developed it to help people, and both you and Captain Amari weaponized it!"

Moira became aware that she was trembling slightly, and she took a deep breath, regaining control and running a hand through her hair. "You only wanted to use your technology in a limited scope; I took it further, to its full potential."

"Return the accelerator, Moira. This is the only time I will ask."

Moira's eyebrows rose at that. "Is that so? That almost sounds like a threat."

"Just a promise."

* * *

"It's finished."

Emily, who had been drifting into a state of half-unconsciousness, snapped awake at that. "The accelerator?"

Winston nodded, rubbing his eyes; he looked more exhausted than Emily had ever seen him. She knew he had been putting in sleepless nights ever since he'd arrived back, and Emily placed a hand gently on his arm as he approached.

"Thank you; I know this project has been consuming your time," the redhead said, offering him a smile.

Winston smiled wearily back. "You're not the only one who misses Lena. The sooner we get her back, the better." He set the accelerator on the floor before powering it up.

The seconds ticked by agonizingly slow, and Emily became aware of the fact that she was holding her breath. This had to work… they had to bring Lena back… The redhead clutched Winston's arm, feeling him put a hand over her own.

A few more seconds passed, and just as Emily was about to call failure, Lena's form slowly appeared. Emily inhaled sharply as the brunette came into focus, and soon enough, she was standing in front of them, her hands pressed tightly over her face.

"Lena!" Emily ran forward, practically tackling the brunette in a hug.

Lena let out a startled noise, her hands dropping. "E-Emily…?" If Emily was hugging her… then she was back… she was real.

The redhead pulled back slightly, noting the haunted look in Lena's eyes. She couldn't imagine what the brunette had been through, and she never wanted to let Lena go again. "It's me, Lena. You're back with us…"

Lena's brow furrowed as she studied Emily's face. She didn't know how long she had been gone this time… it had felt like forever, her own kind of personal hell. The things she had seen that she could remember… Lena just wanted to forget everything. She became aware of the tears running down Emily's face, and it immediately troubled her.

"Em… why're you crying?" Lena asked.

Emily shook her head, hugging the brunette again. "I'm just so happy you're back."

* * *

The accelerator was back where it belonged, but Lena didn't feel like she was. Being ripped through timelines for a second time… something still felt off, even though she knew she was really here. She ran her hands along the walls as she walked, reaffirming that she was indeed anchored to the present, but it still felt wrong. She felt almost detached from her body, as if she were little more than a spectator.

"Lena?"

The brunette looked up at her name, seeing Emily standing in front of her. "Hi Em."

Emily tried not to frown overly much, but she couldn't deny her concern for her girlfriend. Of course she was overjoyed to have Lena back, but something didn't seem quite right with her. Emily supposed she could understand; they had just pulled Lena back from wherever (and whenever) she had been.

"You didn't come down for dinner," Emily said, holding the plate out to her girlfriend. "Angela says you need to eat."

Lena nodded, taking the plate but making no motion to eat the food on it. "Thanks."

Emily moved to sit beside the brunette, reaching for her hand gently. "Lena… I can't imagine what you went through while you were gone… but I'd like to try and help… if you want to talk."

Lena let out a sigh, setting the plate down and pressing her free hand to her face. She knew Emily meant well, but admitting her fears out loud… especially to Emily, the person she loved most and would die to protect… what would the redhead think of her then?

"No… I don't want to burden you…" Lena said, shaking her head.

"Lena, I love you, and not just when things are going well. I love you no matter what, so if something is wrong, you can tell me."

Lena shook her head again. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm supposed to be able to protect you; how can I do that if I keep disappearing?!"

Emily had a feeling she understood what this was about now. She gently pulled the brunette over to lie against her, holding her close and pressing a kiss to her spiked hair. "Lena… you don't have to prove anything to me," she said softly.

Lena clutched at Emily's shirt, feeling tears prickling at the edges of her vision. She shifted to bury her face in Emily's neck, hugging the redhead tightly. She knew she couldn't bottle this up; she had to tell someone or it would just eat her up inside.

"I don't feel right…" Lena found herself admitting. "I know I'm here, and I'm anchored to this timeline, but I still feel… like I'm not. Like I'm just watching myself go through the motions, but I'm not in control. Like I'm really somewhere else…" She clutched Emily tighter, unable to stop the tears running down her face. "I'm so scared Em… I'm terrified I'm going to disappear again…"

"You won't," Emily said, sincerely hoping that was the truth. "You're back now, and I'm not planning on letting you go anywhere." A pause. "Well, anywhere that I can't go after you."

Lena let out a slightly choked laugh, her tears hindering it.

"I'm not trying to say that your feelings aren't valid, Lena, because they are. But you know you're not alone, and we're all going to do whatever it takes to make sure you stay here." Emily pulled back slightly, cupping Lena's face and using her thumbs to wipe away her tears. "I love you, and I will do anything to keep you here."

Lena sniffled a few times, trying to recompose herself before she nodded. "I dunno what I did to deserve you, Em… I love you too." The brunette leaned in, kissing the redhead gently. "Sorry, that was probably a little wet."

Emily laughed before she shook her head. "No, it was… I've been waiting to do that for a while now." The redhead pulled Lena close again, resting their foreheads together and absently massaging the back of her neck. "I'm so happy you're back."


End file.
